


Of Debts and Dons

by Anchanee



Series: Payment of the Hales' debt [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alpha Scott, Alpha Scott McCall, Alpha Stiles, Alpha Stiles Stilinski, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Mafia AU, Angst, BAMF Stiles, Character Death, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dark, Demons, Don Stiles, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Forced Orgasm, Forced Prostitution, Human Alpha Stiles Stilinski, Human Stiles Stilinski, Hurt/Comfort, Imprisonment, M/M, Multi, Platonic Cuddling, Power Imbalance, Psychological Trauma, Shameless Smut, Slavery, Spark Stiles Stilinski, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Torture, Touch-Starved, Underage Sex, Vampires, Werewolves, but not real, but not really, incubus danny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-05
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-02-24 05:51:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 37
Words: 125,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2570486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anchanee/pseuds/Anchanee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Welcome to the second part of 'Payment of the Hales' Debt'. Please start with the first part, otherwise this one will be pretty confusing.</p>
<p>Alright, a brief summary: Derek was given to Stiles as payment for his family's debt Talia could not pay when it was due. He truly expected the worst when being shipped off to a family who had their hand's in every branch of the organized crime from her to San Francisco, despite being led by an eighteen year old boy. He had been given trousers and a collar who would force his new owner's will on him. What good could ever come from that.<br/>But Derek had been given a room, a family and every kind of support he had not even dared to dream of being worth receiving after the fire and Kate's betrayal. In the end, his mother had been able to come up with the money and had offered to buy him back. Stiles had chosen Derek as the messenger to deliver the money to the pack that would not get him as a member. And Derek had chosen.</p>
<p>We are starting in the very same night. Let's see how the story continues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Happy New Year

**Author's Note:**

> Glad to have you all back with me. Now, come on, let's see how Derek and Peter are doing ;).

It was strange for Peter to ride in a car in his wolf-form, but for now being an animal seemed to be the form that was expected of him. He was questioning his decision already, pondering if it had been a good idea to submit to a human and subsequently allowing an eighteen year old girl to collar him. There was magic in the leather Lydia had fastened around his neck, but not the oppressing one he had expected. Still, something was there, binding him to the redhead but for now he could not contemplate how far her influence went.

He thought about leaving, to break the window and run as fast and as far as he could. He would be free of his sister, of a pack he had stayed with because he had seen no other way. But would binding himself to these kids really be any better? Lydia unexpectedly reached towards him, carding her fingers through his unruly pelt and calming him with the contact. He couldn't even remember the last time someone had touched him without a hidden agenda. Sure he lived with his family and he definitely knew how to blow off steam. He was young, had money and was not short on companions for the night, or a few hours if the need arose. But this, this was different.

Lydia's touch didn't seem to have any ulterior motive but to make him feel better. The twin, Aiden, or maybe Ethan, Peter had never bothered to learn the difference, kept throwing him glances. He seemed ready to abandon the wheel in favour of throwing himself onto Peter, if the werewolf as much as twitched the wrong way. When Peter grumbled lowly, a sound of pure comfort, the boy whipped around.

The werewolf would have chuckled, but in this form he could only make a small yip of amusement. Aware that Peter was yanking her boyfriend's chain, Lydia pulled his neck a little. "He has every right to be nervous; you have a terrible reputation. Don't play games with him." Still, her words lacked heat, making her reprimand more a friendly suggestion than an angry rebuff.

Peter only raised his head and looked at her. This was one of his basic character traits: teasing other people, testing them, pushing them to see how far they could go. Most people broke but a few of them, like Isaac, like Erica, like Boyd but especially like Scott and Lydia became something more, something they could never have become on their own. But maybe he should try, for a chance to go to bed without a constant ache in his chest and being able to wake up without tears in his eyes because his broken heart hurt more than he could suffer.

"At least not yet." Lydia added, barely audible. Aiden looked at her but she shook her head, indicating that she had not spoken to him. Her eyes searched Peter’s in the rear-view-mirror of the passenger side.

Not yet … but maybe someday. They had wanted him to submit, did they expect him to change as well? Was that even possibility for him? He was not a very nice person. His sister had made use of his abilities, but she had stopped caring after he had pushed her away one time too many after the fire. And Talia had had her own agenda. She had been eager, eager and determined to bring their family to their former glory, indifferent of who she left behind on her way to the top.

He had not been able to take that any longer. But was this really better?

~ * ~

When Stiles put the Jeep into park, he took a deep breath and put his head on the steering wheel. Tonight had been a gamble with the highest stakes imaginable, but still he had won. More than just Derek; who was looking at him from the passenger seat with concern in his eyes. Stiles felt the werewolf's hand on his shoulder and turned his head, smiling at him before nodding towards the door. "Only a few more minutes until midnight. Let's get the glasses and the champagne."

Aware that his Alpha didn't want to talk, Derek slipped out of the car and entered the kitchen. He was not prepared for the joy lighting up Melissa's face when she spotted him. Neither was he ready for the fierce hug she pulled him into, once he had properly entered. Yet he returned it all too willingly, remembering that now he didn't have to hold back any longer, that he was allowed to touch and to scent and to savour.

Wiping away tears of joy, his Alpha's mother gestured toward a set of glasses. "I prepared everything. I hoped that you would be here before midnight."

Derek got two bottles of Champagne from the fridge and started to open them, filling the glasses when Mrs. McCall hugged all the others, even Chris Argent when he entered, assuring herself that nobody was harmed. She stepped back from the grey and brown wolf that seemed glued to Lydia's side, looking at her son and his best friend questioningly.

"Mum, that's Peter, Peter Hale." Scott revealed and instantly his mother understood.

"He's the Alpha who bit you. You and Erica and Boyd and Isaac and finally Lydia." Angrily she turned towards the wolf, glaring down at him, "What is he doing here?"

Peter was impressed with the fierce woman cornering him in the kitchen. He had done horrible things in the past, using these kids had only been the tip of the iceberg. He was strangely thrilled to find out what she would do to him. The mother of the true Alpha. Surely this woman held a lot of power in this family, despite being human. She appeared fierce and she smelled of resentment and determination when she stepped closer threateningly. Peter retreated even though he was well aware that she was physically no match for him, especially not in his wolf form.

Still, attacking the female would be a death sentence, so Peter lay on the floor on his belly and tried to appear unthreatening. It was an indication of her intelligence that she didn't relax. As the wolf had expected, Melissa McCall didn't buy his submissive act for a second.

What Peter hadn't counted on was Isaac putting a hand on her shoulder, reminding her quietly, "He's the one who made me strong enough to defend myself against an abusive father."

Boyd was next, claiming a place next to Peter, beside him not in front of him, speaking softly, "He's the one who made an offer, an offer that turned out different than I had thought but still ended me with a family, people who really love me. Didn't it, Melissa?"

Erica, looking at Melissa from behind Lydia since she had entered from the garage only a moment ago. "He's the one who healed my epilepsy, a disease that ruined my life."

Looking up in amazement because it seemed so very simple for these wolves to stand by his side when his own pack had long since forgotten how to be united. He watched his true Alpha approaching his mother, gently turning her. "He's the one who helped a weak, asthmatic boy to become a true Alpha. One who is strong enough to protect the people he loves. If you want to be angry, be angry for the things he will do from now on. Because I think– just like Derek – he will need some time to get used to our ways. But don't be angry at him for things of the past, because with him coming here, we wiped the slate clean. He's just like every other wolf in this house, wanted and cared for and he will be punished like everybody else if he screws up. He's nothing special, not really, he's just someone we want around. Can you accept that, mum? For me?"

Looking down at Peter once again, Melissa McCall sighed deeply. She knew that she would do everything to make her kids happy, despite her personal feelings. Still she reminded the wolf, "Step one toe out of line or hurt a single one of my kids and you will find out how much damage a human can do, even to a werewolf." And after that she turned around, distributing the glasses so that they could toast the New Year.

The others followed her, leaving Peter in a daze about what had happened. These kids had stood by him, not against another wolf-pack but against a member of their own pack. How could they do that? Why would they even think about choosing Peter's side over that of the Alpha's mother? He only realized that Lydia was still by his side when the young girl tugged at his collar, pulling him from his thoughts. Her voice was soft, so very different from the few times they had actually spoken, because then she had been terrified and resistant by then. "Innocent until proven guilty. Now come on, we don't want to miss the clock striking midnight. I have a feeling that we are in for an exciting year."

He could shift, should shift so he could drink with the others. But somehow everything he smelled, everything he felt ever since being around these kids was too overwhelming to confront in his human form, when the thoughts and emotions were even stronger. For a wolf, even one with a human side, the world was much simpler and for one night, he could allow himself a little simplicity, couldn't he? So he followed at Lydia's heel, watching this pack surrounding the TV-set in the living room, counting down the seconds to midnight.

They all cheered and clinked their glasses and hugged one another. Especially Derek seemed to throw his arms around everybody at least twice, beaming like Peter had not seen him since high school.

~ * ~

After emptying their glasses the entire pack made their way upstairs and though Derek looked at Stiles in wonder, the teenager only smiled and tugged him along. They opened a latch in the ceiling of the first floor, pulling down a steep staircase that they climbed up one after the other. Derek could even see Aiden steadying Peter on his way up. Derek didn't know if it had been his uncle's idea to join them all along or if he was merely following after Lydia in her very short skirt, but decided not to bother tonight.

Once under the roof they walked along a small pathway between boxes and old cupboards, a broken rocking chair and an outdated children's bike with a black handle, until they reached the front of the house. Stiles opened a door and one after the other they spilled out onto a small roof, with barely a railing to mark its edge.

"Every human find himself a werewolf. It's time to enjoy the first show of the year." Stiles urged, watching his werewolf friends pulling a human pack member close.

Curious where this was going, Derek watched Isaac sitting down on the floor, opening his arms, pulling Allison into his lap. Ethan of course pulled Danny close. Lydia sat down between Aiden's feet, allowing the wolf to hug her from behind, gesturing Peter to lie down beside them. Scott opened his arms for his mother and the woman sank into them, leaning against her son's broad chest, resting her head on his shoulder. That left only Stiles without a companion and though Erica and Boyd only had Mr. Argent sitting between them, the man had wanted to spend New Year with his daughter after all.

Still Stiles did not claim a place, instead a looked at Derek with a small, nearly shy smile. Only too willing to provide warmth and comfort, Derek slid down the wall and opened his arms for Stiles. The teenager took the invitation, leaning back against Derek to get as much heat as possible, announcing quietly, "Ladies and Gentleman, Happy New Year."

Amazed, Derek looked up because fireworks started to explode around them. They were close enough to enjoy them in all their glory, something Derek had always avoided in New York since they were loud and they stank. But here, in Beacon Hills, on top of the Stilinski residence, the werewolf could watch the night-sky lighting up in magical colours, without having to suffer the noise and the smell. For more than half an hour several neighbours shot firework after firework and they all watched it wordlessly.

Even when everything was over, the pack still stayed outside, watching the stars in the sky, simply revelling in being together. After nearly an hour, where everybody had followed his own train of thoughts lingering on the edge of sleep, Stiles patted Derek on the knee, prompting his family, "We should go to bed."

There was a lot of rising and shuffling, where Peter got a little lost in the amount of legs on the balcony, when out of the blue Erica spoke, "I want to sleep with Derek tonight. He's one of us now Stiles, and you said we could if he chose us."

Peter was unable to bite back a growl when he pressed forth between the bodies of the teenagers, positioning himself between his nephew and the blonde before he could even think about it. Still he didn't weaver, willing to protect the only family member he had in this pack. Things would be different if he were human, but his wolf couldn't help himself. Derek was barely more than a pup in his eyes and needed protection.

He didn't count on Derek pulling him back gently, keeping him from making the mistake of attacking a member of his new pack. When he took his next breath he was confused by the smell of undiluted joy his nephew extruded. Torn between defending his sister's son and keeping tabs on what this pack was doing, he barely comprehended when Ethan nodded in agreement, stating quietly. "Yes, me too."

Followed by Boyd who nodded his agreement and Lydia reaching out for Derek, placing a hand on his arm. Peter nearly lost his footing by turning around to keep track of all the teenagers who claimed his nephew. They seemed like an overwhelming force with Derek standing between them. How his nephew was not afraid of the prospect of being in the middle of some kind of gang-bang Peter didn't understand.

~ * ~

Derek was overwhelmed, though he believed that he had misunderstood Erica's request. When Ethan repeated it, with Danny agreeing wordlessly, Boyd nodding his consent and Lydia reaching for him he felt a bubble of joy swelling in his chest. When finally Scott nodded and stated quietly, "Yes, I would like to sleep with you as well. It's the right way to start this New Year." It was as if the sun had risen, so bright was the smile on Derek's face.

Looking at Stiles, the only member of the pack he had shared a bed with until now, Derek hoped that his human Alpha would share his pack's feelings. As much as he felt honoured, overwhelmed really, by his new family's desire to be close to him, he couldn't even think about sleeping away from Stiles tonight of all nights. Not after he had finally understood what unbelievable gift this boy had held in store for him. Stiles reached for Derek's neck and touched their foreheads, "So let's find a place to pile, gorgeous."

Stiles could feel Derek shiver under his fingertips, so he prompted the others. "Prepare the cinema, we'll be with you in a minute."

When the others spilled out to prepare a sleeping place for the pack, Stiles looked at Derek, who had his eyes firmly trailed on the floor.

"Derek?"

"Yea?" The werewolf's voice sounded thick with emotions, as if he was barely able to keep himself together.

"It's over." Stiles whispered, pulling Derek close, wrapping his arms around the wolf, holding him as strong as he was able to. "You're one of us now, and nobody will ever make you leave." He assured the wolf, who took his time, audibly concentrated on his breathing. But after a few moments of Stiles not letting go, Derek clutched the teenager's shirt as if the boy would vanish the next second.

Patiently, Stiles held him, an arm around the small of his back, a hand wrapped around Derek's neck, holding on fast to the trembling wolf in his arms. If his shirt got drenched with tears and his jacket got claw-marks all over its back, nobody would ever know since Stiles knew how to hide such little slips from his pack. Derek still didn't looked at him when he pulled back after a while, nodding obediently when Stiles nudged him towards the house, telling him to shower before bed.

~ * ~

Once Derek was gone, Stiles turned towards the edge. He had tried to hold back, to hold everything in for the entire evening because he hadn't wanted to frighten Derek with his emotions. But now, Stiles couldn't keep himself in check any longer, he started snickering, laughing out loud until tears of joy were running down his cheeks. He felt like bursting from happiness. Tonight had been a gamble and despite his lack of preparation he had won. Won more than one wolf's allegiance and he felt like shouting his happiness from the top of his roof.

He pressed his hands together, slowly pulling them apart, concentrating on his energy, forcing it out of his body so that he would not burst. When he finally let go lighting illuminated the night in the most vibrant colours, connecting Stiles to every part of his own home and the closest area of his territory. He didn't know how long he allowed this storm of emotion getting the better of him, but when he finally lowered his hands, he felt a set of strong arms warping around him from behind.

" _That_ was pretty amazing, bro," Scott whispered into his ear, holding him upright now that Stiles had exhausted himself. "But our wolves are waiting for you, one of them even more anxiously than the others."

"I know," Stiles gave in, allowing his best friend to help him through his evening routine before stumbling down the stairs. When they entered the cinema the three-level cushioned surface had been equalled so that it made one, huge platform where they could all snuggle together.

It was no surprise for Stiles to see Derek lying in the middle, Erica wrapped around him from behind, Lydia at the top and Allison was smiling at the nervous wolf from a distance. Tension seemed to drain out of Derek when Stiles crawled onto the platform, claiming the spot beside him, turning so the wolf could wrap around him from behind.

Scott followed his best friend, using Stiles thigh as a cushion, arms wrapped around Allison's legs when the girl lay in the arms of her other boyfriend.

Peter was the only one who walked around the platform, lying down in a corner shortly before picking up his pacing again. He looked at the teenagers, unsure if he wanted to sneer at them for the undignified puppy pile or hop onto the bed to snuggle up to them.

Nobody said anything for a little while, but after the quarter of an hour Scott whispered, "Lydia, get your wolf to stop patrolling." And Stiles continued, "As long as he's not up here, none of us will find any rest."

Low mumbles assured Peter that everybody shared the opinion of the two Alphas, to his amazement even Scott's mother and Allison's father muttered their agreement. So Peter slowly rose from his place on the floor and jumped onto the platform when Lydia held her hand out for him.

He allowed his instincts to guide him, when he curled up behind Lydia and Aiden, as far away from the hunter as possible, but still, when the girl traded places with her boyfriend turning her back on Derek, waving her fingers through his unruly pelt, he felt tension draining out of him he had not even noticed to be his constant companion over the last few years. Looking at the security monitors he realized that the clock was about to strike two when he finally closed his eyes. Two hours into the New Year and at least a small part of his family finally seemed to have found a pack that cared for them.

He drifted off to Stiles' and Scott's quiet whispers, "Welcome to the family."

~ * ~


	2. Everyday life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek's new life as a real part of the Stilinsky-McCall pack. (And a little bit how Peter sees it.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I'm a little out of it at the moment, it might happen that I forget to update this story regularly. If I do so, please nudge me, because I don't want to keep you waiting intentionally.

The next day they stayed in bed until lunchtime. Mrs. McCall and Mr. Argent had already left, but the pack stayed huddled up, enjoying that they had nothing to do and could simply revel in being close. At some point, somebody started the entertainment system and they watched the news, the discovery channel and some old TV-show after that.

To Derek, this entire situation felt surreal. Here he was, by choice, surrounded by a family who had accepted him and did everything to make him feel welcome. During their first movie-night, when he had unknowingly made Stiles sad by choosing Indian food, he had been allowed to sit close to Erica and Boyd. He had been tense and unsure but the blonde and her boyfriend had done everything to ease him.

Now Erica had her head in his lap and Boyd sat behind the two of them, occasionally carding his fingers through Derek's hair. But Boyd was not the only one; Ethan lay on Danny's lap who sat right beside Derek. The werewolf occasionally reached for his leg, drawing patterns onto it with his fingers. Allison and Isaac sat in front of them, Isaac absentmindedly toying with the hem of Derek's pyjama bottoms. When he turned around, he could see Scott and Stiles, lying splayed out behind Boyd, Stiles half wrapped around the dark skinned teenager so that he could see, Scott hugging his friend from behind, resting his chin on Stiles' shoulder.

People turned, twisted and shifted occasionally and though there didn't seem to be a pattern at the beginning, after a while Derek noticed that the people closest to him would trade places with the others. With a smile Derek realized that the pack was scenting him. Lydia was the only exception; she lay on her stomach, with Peter as her cushion. Aiden, who had just traded places with his brother, occasionally brushed her enticing long legs, but concentrated on Derek more than on his own girlfriend. With a smile, Derek closed his eyes, leaning against … whoever sat behind him at the moment, simply revelling in the feeling of being wanted. He had not felt like this for a very long time, and a part of him wondered if his family had ever given him such boundless affection. Right now, he really could not remember.

~ * ~

Peter was … confused, to say at least and only partially by his own, uncharacteristically submissive behaviour. A few hours ago, he would have thought it completely impossible to serve as a cushion for a teenage girl, but when Lydia had turned on the mattress, wrapping her arms around his neck, using it as a prop, he had not even thought about turning away. Now he was stuck, with a girl occasionally kneading his ears and carding her fingers through his wiry pelt. That he smelled like wood and wet earth because he had not gotten a chance to shower until now didn't seem to bother the redhead in the slightest.

He looked at Isaac, who sat wrapped around Derek from behind, steadying him where his nephew seemed to have fallen asleep again. This teenager had been scared of his own shadow before Peter had given him the bite, maybe even after for a while. He had truly been an annoyance because he had not grown into the strength of a wolf as Peter had expected him to, but had held on to the fear his father had instilled on him his entire life. Peter had not paid attention to him long enough to decide that he was worth the effort. Now, however, the tall boy seemed more than comfortable in his own skin. Thanks to the raven-haired hunter by his side and his Alpha who seemed to enjoy tickling his sides before running his hand soothingly over the warm flesh Isaac displayed by not wearing a pyjama-top.

Erica had been nothing but a weak, sick girl, introverted and frightened of social confrontation. The bite had taken instantly with her, boosting her confidence, making her care for herself and putting herself on display. But it had all been a show, because even here, without make-up, hair twisted into two messy ponytails and an oversized pyjama top that clearly belonged to her boyfriend, she displayed an easy confidence that had nothing to do with appearances and everything with the certainty of being strong and loved and cared for.

Boyd, well Boyd had been a gamble right from the beginning. Erica had sunk her claws into him soon after his transformation, but instead of being smitten with her and therefore foolish like all teens, Boyd had displayed a great strength of mind despite being in desperate need of a pack, since his family had not cared for him.

Peter might have abandoned them too soon, but he would have never been able to give them what they had needed to grow into the people they were now.

Scott … well, Scott might have been his greatest mistake. Peter couldn't allow himself any illusions of gaining strength and influence in this pack by overthrowing its Alpha. Because on one hand, there were two of them – one not even being a werewolf – and two, these kids were loyal to a fault. The werewolf, who had worked the streets for his sister, earning himself a truly horrible reputation, had kept tabs on all of the wolves he had bitten, albeit superficially. They flew under the radar at the best of times and proved unrelenting and vicious when it came to defending their territory at the worst of times.

Stiles and Scott made a team of leaders not even his own sister would be able to overthrow, because their pack didn't follow them out of loyalty, or respect or fear - they followed them out of love. That was a combination no amount of money or influence could ever overcome. They had even accepted him, hell, coaxed him into joining their pack and though he would have to work his way up from the position of the Omega, it was apparent that if he played his cards right, he could reach a status of being accepted and cared for in under six months. His nephew was proof for that.

~ * ~

The next days were busy. Derek followed Isaac and Danny to the company and Peter stayed with Lydia during her seemingly unrelated excursions to the most uncommon places in town. Her only requirement seemed to be something to sit upon and a flat surface where she could put up her laptop. While visiting the local park, Peter started to run wild, daring her to call him back. He returned by himself though, when he heard her shiver. Wrapping around her from behind on the broad stone-bench she was sitting upon, she leaned back and groaned, "Thank you, you’re a blessing with fur!" Before typing away on her little machine.

Peter remained stock-still behind her. Her voice had indicated that she had not even thought about the words that had just escaped her. Still her smell confirmed that she was really glad for him to be here. That was an unexpected turn of events. True, the wolves he had bitten had wanted him, but he could write that off as a biological imperative. But with Lydia it was different. The bite had not changed her; she was still human, at least to Peter's knowledge. Therefore her sympathy for him was just that, sympathy, and the werewolf did not really know how to deal with that. Nobody liked him these days.

Long after sundown Peter and Lydia returned to the Stilinski-house, hearing shouting from the living room. When Aiden appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, Lydia smiled a little. Nudging the wolf, she prompted Peter, "Go and find out what's going on, I am sure that if your ears get any longer you will change into a donkey." And with that she vanished upstairs, her boyfriend hot on her heels.

Stiles was the one currently shouting at a very angry Derek, who stood in the middle of the living room, arms folded stubbornly over his chest. "This system works for us ever since my parents build this company. It's acknowledged by every member of our staff as well as the fiscal authorities!"

"That does not mean that there is no room for improvement," Derek shot back annoyed. "You had me study all of your damn books and now, when I suggest a sensible improvement you throw 'because that's the way it has always been' into my face? I'm reasonable and you know it and I make this proposition at the perfect moment. You don't even have a single new accounting record in your journals, because the year has just begun. You are just stubborn!" Peter was amused by the accuracy with which his nephew was imitating his Alpha. Also he was astonished that nobody seemed to come to Stiles' defence when a werewolf was yelling at him. No, all the teenagers had found places on the couch, the loveseat or armrests of the two, watching the shouting match like a sports event.

"The last time you tried to change something, you nearly frightened my accountant into a heart attack!" Stiles bellowed.

" _Because he was stealing from you!_ " Derek roared, eyes shining in the brightest blue, claws digging into his palms in his effort to hold back.

Peter was very surprised that no member of this pack felt the need to step between a mere human and a werewolf who was currently at the edge of control. Even more so, when Stiles looked at his nephew with a near glacial gaze, stating coldly, "You think you are so clever that you can come up with something better? Fine, I will get you a hardcopy of the system, if you can get me a workable prototype before the seventh we will try."

And with that he turned his back towards the hard-breathing werewolf, leaving for the kitchen.

It was Isaac who piped up as soon as Stiles had left, "And who won now? That was quite unsatisfying."

Scott, who sat perched on the backrest of the loveseat, caressing Allison's head where she was leaning against his knee, put a hand on Isaac's shoulder. Honestly, why was this boy so handsy with a pack-member's girlfriend? Was it common with these teenagers to share, or had the Alpha special privileges? The teenager looked at Derek, who had found his calm again, when answering. "Since Derek can move freely for now, I would say that he won.

"Despite wolfing out towards his Alpha." He added sharply as an afterthought.

Shame was pouring off of Derek in waves, and his head dropped in defeat. Would Scott punish him now for showing himself so disrespectful towards the human leader of this family? Peter looked after him, when his nephew left the room, following the human. When he patted after him, Scott commanded, "Don't! Give them some privacy, Peter."

~ * ~

Derek felt horrible after Scott's sharp comment. He had thought about this book-keeping system for quite a while now. The Red Hood Trading Company would be the perfect opportunity to introduce it. It reduced the amount of double entries, as well as making it easier to follow the flow of money. To put it simple it meant flagging certain money-transfers in a different way to keep track of them and using the same journals for every department. He had tried this while caring for his family's books and it had worked, despite a mob-journals being much more complicated than the ones of a legal company.

Still, when he had proposed it to Stiles, the teenager had shut him off. But after becoming a member of this pack, he wanted to be heard; wanted his ideas for improvement to be acknowledged. He would never interfere with Lydia's books, but the Company was something else entirely. He had not even realized how far he had lost his composure, until Scott had mentioned it. Now he was terribly ashamed and a feeling of unease was twisting his stomach.

Was Stiles regretting of giving him a chance to stay already? Would Derek's display of independence earn him distance from his human Alpha? Honestly, that was the last thing he wanted. He had just wanted to help but had lost it spectacularly and honestly, Derek didn't have the faintest clue of how to fix this.

When he entered the kitchen, he heard the door being closed after him. Stiles stood with his back to Derek, not acknowledging in any way that the wolf had entered, focussed on brewing a cup of coffee. The set of Stiles' shoulders was hard and unyielding and his emotions seemed closed off in a way Derek had only witnessed when Stiles was working in the streets.

"Stiles …"

No reaction.

"Alpha?" A quiet request for attention but still, Stiles didn't turn around. He kept stirring the milk in his coffee, despite the liquid being long since distributed.

The teenager finally turned around, after hearing a low whine from Derek, whose eyes were firmly glued to the floor, radiating anxiety and unhappiness. The werewolf's voice was thick when he admitted, "I am sorry, really sorry. I know that I should not have lost my composure. Please, don't … don't …," Derek didn't even know how to address his fear. He didn't want to give Stiles any ideas by suggesting that Stiles would throw him out of his room even though that was the most likely punishment for his insolence.

With an exhausted sigh, Stiles put his cup aside, reached for the morning paper, rolled it up before swatting Derek over the head with it. The werewolf yipped in surprise, rubbing his head. "That's how I deal with unruly puppies. Stop looking like I am about to hang you. Honestly, have a little faith! No, I am not happy that you were shouting at me, but I saw exactly how you dealt with the change. Your aggression was not directed towards me, so stop looking as if I will push you against a wall to shoot you."

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again." Derek whispered brokenly, unsure of how to deal with Stiles' easy acceptance.

Sighing again, Stiles slid onto the counter and pulled Derek into his arms, so that Derek's forehead was resting against his chest. This pup still had so much to learn about how things were dealt with in this pack. Sure Stiles didn't like people talking back at him, but where if not in this house could he allow his pack to express their thoughts and feelings? He wasn't fond of wolves showing claws, flashing their eyes or baring their teeth, but most of his friends were part animal, supernatural animals but animal nevertheless. Derek's wolf was even stronger, since he had been born with it.

"This is your home, Derek." Stiles assured him, while petting the werewolf's neck soothingly. "You are allowed to let go in here as long as you don't hurt anyone. And if you think you can come up with an easier accountancy system, by all means try. But if you frighten Mr. Bale one more time, you are banned from the Company. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Alpha."

When Stiles nudged Derek's head a little, so that the werewolf had to look into his eyes, he raised his eyebrows, enjoying the tiny smile he was able to pull from Derek when the wolf whispered, "Yes, Stiles. I'll try to be nice to your little human accountant as long as he keeps his sticky paws to himself."

Kissing Derek's forehead, Stiles grinned broadly, assuring him, "That's all I am asking. And now let's return to the living room, before they break through the door in their efforts to listen in, _despite having werewolf hearing!_ " Stiles raised his voice for the last words and Derek could imagine the wolves inside the living room winching, because they had been so very attentive.

When they returned to the living room, Stiles picked up his pad and returned to his armchair, with Derek relaxing against the side of it with a notebook in hand. He closed his eyes and relaxed when Stiles toyed with his hair, continuing his work when the caresses didn't stop for the rest of the evening.

~ * ~

It actually was easier than Derek would have estimated to introduce his new idea on his first day back in the office. Mr. Bale, who still looked at him as if Derek would bite of his head any moment, relaxed gradually over the next few hours where the werewolf explaining his idea. Together they sketched out a system, the accountant feeding Derek new ideas for further improvement. When they asked for Danny's help, because they would need several modifications to their book-keeping program, the incubus was pleasantly surprised at how well Derek was able to work with this human.

He told Derek as much when they returned home that evening, and despite looking out of the window, Danny felt Derek blushing beside him. For a moment the teenager wondered how much praise the werewolf had gotten over the last few years for the extraordinary work he had done for his family. All of the information he had gathered for his boss regarding Derek's activities in New York spoke of the young man more or less single-handedly dealing with the Hale's trade in the big city. Though they had only held a small territory, it was still a lot for a single person to keep up with. It seemed that nobody had ever made the effort to tell Derek how good he had done and Danny decided that at least he would keep up with praising the werewolf when a compliment was due.

~ * ~


	3. Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few uncomfortable truths are put on the table.

From the third to the sixth of January, Derek had stacks upon stacks of paper distributed over the living-room table to create a working specification for the modifications Danny needed to make to the Red Hood Trading Company's bookkeeping program.

Peter had been following Lydia around like the obedient dog he was supposed to be. Yet this morning the girl had requested for him to stay behind since she had private matters to attend to. That gave Peter time to observe his nephew more closely, interacting with the members of his, well, their new pack, as well as alone. For quite a while Derek had only smelled of misery and loneliness whenever he had come home from his self-imposed exile in New York. Now things were different. His nephew seemed to flourish under the attention he received and despite mocking him inwardly for the eagerness with which Derek accepted these teenagers' touch and easy comradery, Peter couldn't deny that he too felt much more at ease … no, felt much less pain than he had while staying with his own family after the fire. Talia had allowed him to execute his revenge. However she had kept him bound to her side, even after he had killed an Alpha for her, demanding submission, despite his new strength.

But these kids, they were another matter entirely. They worked, lived and loved as a family. They even fought when they disagreed and despite being given respect and appreciation, Scott and Stiles never bested them or made decisions over their heads like his sister did with the Hale-pack. These people were a family in the truest sense of the word and after seeing Lydia talk to some of their assets, it seemed that even the people working for them or those under their care shared the sentiment. Stiles was a Don in the truest sense of the word: a person who took care of his territory and everybody who fell under his protection. The police in Beacon Hills was more or less a joke, despite having a member of the FBI – Scott McCall's father as he had learned – with them. Without Stiles this town would fall into chaos and no matter how little Peter liked to admit to it, he respected the young human Alpha for that.

Nevertheless, he was amused by the way Derek seemed to wag around Stiles whenever the boy was around. Not that he had room to judge. For now, every night but the first one, he had chosen a spot on the floor in the corner of Lydia's room. There was something going on with the girl he couldn't quite pinpoint yet, but he was determined to find out. The fact that he felt a strong connection between them was … a mere coincidence. Additionally, that he was effectively cock-blocking her boyfriend was a constant source of amusement, since Lydia didn't seem to particularly mind.

"You don't have to remain in your wolf form all the time, you know?" Derek half asked and half stated while scribbling more notes to a sheet of paper before placing it at the middle of a pile of spreadsheets, gesturing over his shoulder he gestured towards a cupboard. "There are sweats in there."

The truth was, this was the first time that Peter heard that and for a moment he was not sure if Derek was leading him on, or if his nephew's assessment was sound. He had not even felt trapped in his pelt until this very moment, where Derek had pointed out that he could think of it as a requirement. To make his point, Derek shoved his plate towards the edge of the table. He had prepared a roast beef sandwich for lunch and had only eaten half of it.

Peter had been fed and given water on the floor and had not even thought about it. But now the idea that he might have gotten into such a submissive mind-set than he had thought and even more _accepted_ that being on the floor on all fours was required to be a part of this pack, disgusted him. Still, a part of his stomach knotted when he changed and swiftly put on a worn shirt and soft, slightly too large pants to cover himself. Instead of letting his unease show he reached for the sandwich and bit into it with relish to swallow down his feelings. Masking his emotions Peter bickered, "And you don't have to bounce around Stiles like a lost puppy. But apparently you find particular joy in that, since you do it all the time."

"I don't," Derek snapped, glaring at his uncle, but Peter merely stole his juice to wash down the sandwich.

His uncle raised his eyebrows, calling Derek wordlessly on the too fast contradiction. His nephew was far too emotional for Peter not to have hit home, so he exploited the reaction, "You know, if you tell him that you are entirely infatuated with him, he might even allow you to sleep on the bed with him."

Angrily, Derek muttered, hiding his flaming cheeks by lowering his head again. "I can sleep in his bed whenever I feel like it, just like every other member of this pack. And I do take him up on the offer now and then." Nearly every night, whenever Derek found a reason to justify it - but he wouldn't reveal that to his uncle. Instead he continued provocatively, "I don't curl up in a corner of his room, watching him from afar, not daring to approach."

And didn't that hit far too close to home for Peter's liking as well. So his fascination with Lydia was as apparent to his nephew as Derek's ardour on Stiles were for him. To derail his nephew from this train of thought, Peter snickered menacingly, "Well, I was given to Lydia, was I not? I am sure that if you told Stiles about your crush, the teenager would eventually lend you a hand to ease these lonely nights of yours. Maybe he is even entertained by gaining a werewolf pet that is, as of now, without any attachment." Closing in on his nephew, going on for the jugular, Peter whispered into his ear, "Word on the street has it that Stiles can be very creative. If you are a good, little pup, maybe he will bring you out to play."

Briskly, Derek pushed back, gathering up his papers. Angry and embarrassed he hissed at his uncle, "You know what, I take it back. Better you remain in wolf-form. At least you can't spew nonsense this way!" before leaving for Stiles' study, slamming the door shut behind himself.

~ * ~

Shivering, Derek sank onto the couch, clutching his notes tight to his chest. Coming here had been a bad idea! No room in this house, not even Stiles' bedroom, smelled as purely of this teenager as this one. This office was sacred and rarely any member of the pack dared to enter. Everything in here was about Stiles, from the computer, to the board above it. From the books about history, accounting, law and customs regulations on one side, to volumes about herbals and wildlife, biological surveys and a few exemplars on predators in the US right to the comic corner that covered nearly one meter of wall, everything sorted by season and publication date.

Being in here did nothing to ease Derek's longing. The worst of this bickering with his uncle was, that Peter was absolutely right. He felt at ease around his human Alpha and not only because Stiles made him feel safe. The human was careful and caring, supportive and sweet nearly all the time. At least until Derek screwed up, but even then he never pushed Derek away, as if knowing that this was the worst punishment he could dish out, reserving it for special situations.

Derek would have liked to feel special because of this treatment and the boy's easy acceptance of him in his bed. But the truth was, Stiles was like this with everybody. No member of the pack was ever pushed away, not even Allison when she was seeking contact, despite her not even being a wolf. Scott came as easily to Stiles' room as Lydia or Danny or anybody else. The head of the Stilinski-family had open ears and arms for all of them. Derek really was nothing special, and didn't that thought hurt like a knife through the guts?

Derek had wished for a place where he belonged, had believed that he would be happy if he ever found one. But now that he had a pack who wanted him, who protected him and chose him over four millions dollars – a ridiculously large sum, even for them – he wanted more. He wanted to be desired, to be loved even though he knew that this was completely out of the question, since Stiles didn't have a deeper interest in him than he had in any other pack member. Sure the teenager might react to proximity, might feel lust when they snuggled together, but Derek wrote that off as hormones, Stiles was quite young after all. It was not as if Derek was someone he wanted to bed, he had made that very clear, right after Derek had come here.

~ * ~

When Derek went into hiding, Peter felt slightly at a loss for things to do. Sure, taunting his nephew had been fun, but now he was alone in a house where he … where he honestly didn't even know if he was allowed to touch anything. Usually he would simply go for it, try to challenge the Alpha and test his boundaries. But on one hand, he was not sure how far the influence of the collar went – it sure felt like magic even if it did not subdue him at the moment – and on the other hand, he was here of his own volition. He had chosen this, being with the wolves he had bitten, the closest thing to a family he could imagine.

So he tried to play it cool and enjoy the calm before the storm. He picked a book and sank into the only armchair. It turned out that the book on the beneficial use of herbs was quite interesting, so Peter didn't even notice the sun going down. Only when teenagers started spilling through the door did he look up. He watched them taking out their gang-symbol – black studs in the ears, a very unimaginative choice in his opinion – taking off their shoes, spilling into the living-room.

Peter was aware that business started to pick up after Christmas and New Year so he was not surprised when the boys and girls fell onto the couch, simply putting up their feet, groaning in fatigue. What did surprise him though, was that nobody mentioned him being out of his fur. They all merely nodded at him or offered tired smiles, before closing their eyes. The Alpha sank into the love-seat, the huntress following him. Peter wondered if Stiles' enforcer knew about the affair of his girlfriend. Stiles and Isaac were the last to enter, and to Peter's surprise, both Allison and Scott smiled at the tall boy, while Allison shifted to make room and the Alpha opened his arms.

Isaac sank into them, shivering slightly when Scott pulled him close and Allison snuggled into him from behind. Peter was surprised by the open display of affection between Scott and Isaac when the werewolf bent up to kiss his Alpha. Apparently, relationships in this pack could contain more than two people. Looking at Lydia, who sat on the couch, with her boyfriend massaging her feet while she groomed him, he wondered how far she was willing to go, but pushed the thought aside immediately. Sure Lydia would be a good companion, but Peter would never allow himself to get as besotted as his nephew with a mere human.

When he was hit over the head with a newspaper he growled, but Stiles voice merely admonished him tiredly, "That's my seat, buzz off."

"And pray, where would my Alpha like me to sit instead? I certainly won't roll around your feet like my nephew." Peter warned as an afterthought, not wanting the human leader of this family to get any ideas.

Snickering, sinking boneless into his chair, Stiles looked up at Peter, "Honestly, you could sit on my lap and I wouldn't mind at the moment, as long as I don't have to move again, and can put my feet up."

The coffee-table was shoved into Stiles' direction and a cushion was placed on top for the teenager to put his feet upon. Still smiling up at Peter, opening his arms invitingly, Stiles couldn't suppress a grin, when Peter turned away, choosing the window seat instead, where he had all the people in the room within view. Derek too had emerged from his hiding place and after returning his papers to the dining table, looked unsure of where to sit. Peter saw exactly that his gaze was wandering towards the carpet right next to Stiles' armchair, but after their discussion, Derek would need a little incentive before claiming this place again, too afraid that it would display his feelings too openly.

Danny, who lay in his boyfriends arms, rolled up like a giant cat. He had looked at Stiles for the last few moments. Still the boy enjoyed making out with Ethan since he had missed him dearly during the stressful day. But now Danny felt settled, able to think clearly again. Whenever things became too stressful, his demonic side demanded attention. That did not always help when dealing with new customers of the not so legal kind. But after Ethan had taken care of him, promising a hot bath with a massage of all the right places right after dinner, the teenager felt far more settled.

That's why it irked him even more that his master was the exact opposite of content. Stiles tried to appear relaxed and tired, but Danny could feel the underlying tension in his boss's body. Looking at his boyfriend, gesturing towards his master, he was relieved when Ethan opened his arms. If it was not life and death the twin would always be Danny's first priority and if Ethan felt uncomfortable with Danny touching another, the demon wouldn't do it. It was fun to kiss and fuck other people, but Ethan took good care of him, gave him everything he needed and Danny would never put that at risk. Still he was tremendously grateful that Ethan was not the jealous type.

So the incubus unfolded from his boyfriend's lap and approached Stiles with sensually swaying hips. Peter nearly spit out the drink he had fetched for himself when he watched the dark-haired teenager taking off his dress-shirt, sliding onto Stiles lap, purring seductively, "You can take of the undershirt as well, if you like."

Peter watched with rapt interest as Stiles tilted his head slightly looking at Ethan for a moment, and only when the boy nodded with a smile, did he touch the incubus, running his hands over Danny's still clothed chest, evoking a hiss from the boy when tweaking his nipples through his shirt. Clearly Stiles was a fan of power-play, since he dragged his blunt nails over Danny's torso, demanding quiet but not less forcefully, "You want me to undress you, you have to ask for it!"

Nails digging into the armchair beside Stiles' head, the teenager on his lap arched into the touch. "Please, Stiles." He hissed, leaning closer, presenting himself wantonly.

"Please what, Danny?"

"Oh god!" the teenager choked when his boyfriend slid up behind him, claiming the cushion on the coffee-table that had just been vacated, dragging not so blunt nails over his back. Danny tried to reach around, but Ethan pulled back almost immediately. He clutched his boyfriend's hair, pulling back his head so much that it had to be painful. Still, Peter, and probably every other wolf who watched the show with rapt attention, could smell the dizzying wave of lust spreading in the room.

Ethan insisted, "You wanted Stiles, now concentrate on your master!"

What an odd choice of words, still the demand seemed to be heeded when Danny pulled himself even closer to Stiles, lips hovering over that of the teenager, but without kissing him when he begged, "Please, take off my shirt, my trousers, whatever you want!"

"Really," Stiles teased, pulling the undershirt oh so slowly out of Danny's trousers, caressing the warm skin under it without taking it off. "You want me to undress you, maybe even take you, here, in front of your boyfriend, in front of the entire pack?" Dragging his nails over the boy's side, mirroring Ethan's gesture from before, Stiles whispered, sure that every last person in this room could hear him easily. "Or would you even like Ethan to join us? Maybe one of us fucking your pretty mouth while the other takes you from behind? We could lay you out on the coffee-table like a sacrifice. Would you like that, pet?"

The sound coming from Danny was not even human, half a purr, half a whimper but overwhelming the mind of every last person in the room. Peter saw black bleeding into the teenager's eyes and was at Stiles side before he had made the decision to move. At the edge of his awareness he registered his nephew lunging for him but Derek was a tick too slow, before he closed his clawed hand around the creature's throat that was currently subduing his Alpha.

What happened next, was too fast for Peter to comprehend. He heard fabric ripping apart, an annoyed huff and a frustrated sigh, and felt blinding pain. When he finally regained his senses, he was pinned to the floor by the razor-sharp tip of a black, leathery wing that was nailing his right shoulder to the floor. A midnight-blue demon with black horns, vicious teeth and sharp claws sat perched on Stiles lap. Or was the boy actually holding that creature in place?

This entire situation was absurd, nothing about it made sense to Peter. The demon before him was the stuff nightmares were made of. Surely he was hallucinating, since nobody in this room seemed to be worried about what was happening. Only Derek was hovering at the edge of the fight. Jealousy poured off of him in waves when Danny had climbed into Stiles' lap, but now his nephew was concerned, yet not for Stiles, with his lap full of monster, but for him.

Maybe he was still at the hospital where he had recovered after the fire. He had fallen into a healing trance, but it had not always been restful. After the loss of his wife and unborn child, bad dreams had kept Peter from healing for more than a year, and the mere idea that he still was there and that this was nothing but a figment of his imagination frightened him.

"Danny?" Stiles voice was calm and controlled when he addressed the teenager, demon, what the hell was that creature?

When the creature did not react, Stiles nodded at Ethan who stepped back a little. He had been forced back on the coffee table by the giant wings that had sprouted from the demon's back, but still he had hovered. How was all of this even real, Peter wondered? Still, the Alpha did not appear to be worried in the slightest. More forceful than before, Stiles demanded the creature's attention. "Daniel Mahealani, you will release your pack-member this instant!"

The tone did leave no room for argument, but still, the demon only reluctant pulled back his clawed wing, looking down at Peter with black eyes, that still seemed to radiate fury. Petulant he said, "He is not allowed to touch me!"

Stiles gently caressed Danny's face, soothingly rubbing his back under the wings, pulling the attention of the demon back to himself. His voice was softer now, nearly loving when he agreed. "That's true. But you didn't tell him so beforehand. Your eyes were changing, because you liked the picture I was painting for you. Peter was merely defending his Alpha. You can't really hold that against him, can you?"

"No," Danny mumbled, burying into Stiles, avoiding his eyes like a child that was scolded. The situation was so ridiculous that Peter would have laughed, had his shoulder not hurt like a bitch. He allowed Derek to help him to his feet and to the love-seat Scott, Allison and Isaac had vacated. The four were hovering, inspecting his wound, fetching cleaning supplies when Stiles whispered with the demon.

"I wanted to make you feel good." The demon told the Alpha.

"And I appreciate the sentiment, this was just bad luck." Stiles assured him, caressing the black skin that showed through the tattered shirt. Slowly the wings receded, and patches of human skin bloomed from under Stiles' touches. "Why don't you go with Ethan, pet. I know that a full transformation drains you. Fuck and we can maybe try this again after dinner if you want. Alright?"

Nodding, Danny stood up, slightly shaky, reaching for his boyfriend, who put his arm around the teenager's waist. Looking slightly heartfelt, Danny mumbled, "I am sorry, Master."

Stiles however, only looked up at him, shaking his head. "It was not I who you injured, so I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

Danny turned around, looking at Peter who was fussed over by Isaac and Scott, after he had flinched briefly when Allison had touched him. Still, instead of Stiles' prompting, Danny simply glared at Peter, before vanishing up the stairs.

When he was out of sight, Stiles shook his head and looked at Peter.

The wound had hurt like a bitch, but with Scott and Isaac pulling the pain from it, it was already healing. They had explained something about an herb that would help him heal a wound from an incubus faster, but he had only listened with half an ear. An incubus in a pack of wolves! This was getting better and better. And better still, when Stiles grinned at him sheepishly. "I think Peter should be the one deciding the take-away tonight."

Getting wounded by a demon meant choosing dinner. Peter wondered if his life could get any weirder.

~ * ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mizukihikari one of my faithful readers, has an assignment for class and would really profit if you could fill out this survey for her:  
> https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/R2LRV2J
> 
> It is about same sex parings in fan-fiction and since you had so much fun reading this story where there is, let's be honest, quite a heavy amount of same-sex pairings, I hoped that you would take a few moments to help.
> 
> Thank you very much for taking your time.  
> Anchanee


	4. An Invasion of Privacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Private matters are revealed and for Derek and Peter it is not necessarily a pleasant revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lots of thanks to my betas Memprime and Wecantgiggleatacrimescene.

When Ethan and Danny came down forty minutes later, dinner was in the process of being distributed on the table. The incubus was positively glowing, his skin radiant and his eyes shone with satisfaction and happiness. That changed however, when he saw Peter.

Determined the demon in human form approached the werewolf and instinctively the wolf put down the bag he had held to have both hands free. He straightened to meet the demon on equal footing. When Danny didn't stop his approach, the wolf took half a step back before catching himself and holding his ground. Danny looked down at him wordlessly and Peter gave into his nature as his eyes flashed red and he growled sub vocally. As an Alpha Peter really couldn't let this creature best him.

Black was once again bleeding into Danny's eyes as he glowered down at the newest werewolf. After a few tense moments the teenager spoke in a rich, deep tone, "I don't like being touched when I am with my master. I don't know you and I don't trust you. So please, don't do it again."

This was not going the way Peter had expected. There should be threats, challenges, the proof that the newest member of the pack was at the bottom of the hacking order. Unsure of what this politely phrased request should accomplish, Peter merely nodded his head. "Agreed."

He absolutely did not flinch when the teenager raised his human hand and pulled aside Peter's ruined shirt to inspect the healing wound. Brushing over it with his fingertips, Peter felt a pleasant heat seeping into his bones, making him feel better right away. Danny's eyes were back to normal when the teenager spoke sincerely as an afterthought, "I apologize for hurting you."

He didn't add that it would not happen again. Didn't mention that it had been a mistake or an accident, since both knew these words to be a lie. Danny would defend himself as it apparently was in his nature and Peter would have to accept that and stay away from the incubus. Slowly he nodded a second time, not taking his eyes off the incubus. "Apology accepted."

With that Danny turned away again, crawled onto Ethan's lap, who had reached for a box of Chinese take away, and stole a pair of chopsticks so that he could feed his partner.

After a pleasant and relaxed dinner, Peter decided to shower before transforming again. For now he had not been given a bed or even a closet of a room like Derek, even though Peter suspected his nephew to spend more time in Stiles' bedroom than his own. It was easier to just return to his wolf-form and curl up on the comforter at the foot of Lydia and Ethan's bed. Things would change eventually, but for now he was strangely content to be close to the girl that had fastened the collar around his neck. He really didn't plan on inspecting that thought too thoroughly.

Stiles had vanished into the room where Derek had hidden this afternoon and Peter was surprised when he heard his nephew's name barked out like a sharp command a little while later.

~ * ~

Stiles had needed some tranquillity after the hectic day he had had. So he retreated to his study to play some GTA. Usually he didn't hide in his home-office. The wolves needed their Alphas around to be content. But still they understood that sometimes even for a human without super senses everything became too noisy. Stiles sighed frustrated when the game wanted to update and gave permission, leaving his desk to choose a comic for the evening. Iron Man or Wolverine? Decisions … decisions …

When he turned around after picking one, he found a sheet of paper peeking out from under the sofa. Reaching for it Stiles wondered when he had last done paperwork on his couch. Confused he tried to remember when he had actually done paperwork, since all of his documents were electronic these days. His stomach filled with anger, when he recognized the handwriting.

He returned to his computer and checked the video-logs, grateful that Danny had insisted on incorporating his office into their surveillance system. Stiles had wanted his computer to stay in the blind spot, but the window, the glass-door and the sofa were will within the cameras' lines of sight. He watched Derek entering the room, hiding in the corner of the sofa, clutching his paperwork to his chest. When he pulled up his knees as well, Stiles could see a sheet of paper slipping to the floor and floating under the couch.

Derek looked confused, nearly frightened and Stiles knew that if he had found the werewolf on the other side of his door looking like that, he would have welcomed him in with open arms. He would have tried to ease his pack-member. But he had not been here and Derek had no right to enter Stiles' sanctuary without permission. That was the one rule in this house, the only room that was not free for public use. No other wolf had problems with it. Hell it was not as if Stiles was not available when they needed him. But coming in here on his own was _not_ allowed. Ever!

His voice was barely louder than average, but clearly angry, when he opened the door and called for the wolf who had invaded his privacy. "Derek!"

When the werewolf entered, Stiles could see him blanching. Derek opened his mouth, probably to apologize, but Stiles would have none of that, so he held up his hand, interrupting the werewolf before he had had a chance to start.

"Please interpret the signs on the door for me."

Stiles voice was emotionless, cold and detached in a way Derek had rarely seen him during these last few months. He knew better than to contradict his Alpha so he turned around obediently, reciting in a shaking voice.

"Forbidden to enter are wolves, cats, dogs, birds, mice, vampires, demons both male and female, blind people?" At the slight question Derek shook his head, continuing, "Men and women and I assume elves and fairies. The only exception is Lydia. She's allowed to come in at any given time."

Coldly, Stiles asked, "Is there a special sign of exception for you on that door?"

"No, Stiles."

"So I guess it's safe to assume that you don't have permission to enter."

"Yes, Stiles," Derek hung his head, felt his stomach twist at the scolding he very well knew he deserved.

"I won't ask you why, Derek," Stiles continued as if the wolf had not spoken. "You were clearly upset and looking for sanctuary."

Derek's head whipped up, looking around until he spotted the inconspicuous little camera that was mostly hidden by the corkboards Stiles had plastered his walls with. Of course this room was under surveillance. In the cinema Derek had seen video-feeds of all the windows and doors.

"However, I think I have made it very clear right from the beginning that this room is not free for all. Haven't I?"

Derek could only nod, dreading what would come next.

"Good. So you will leave now, and not enter again without my explicit permission."

Offering the treacherous piece of paper, Derek took it with shaking fingers. "Yes, Alpha." He then turned and fled, dashing upstairs to hide in his own room.

~ * ~

A few minutes after Derek had left, Scott knocked. "Stiles, are you alright? Derek reeked of anxiety when he ran upstairs."

Gesturing towards his computer from his place at the window where he looked into their backyard, Stiles heard Scott's sharp intake of breath, when he found the video from the afternoon.

Angrily, Stiles asked, "Is it really so hard, Scotty?" The wolf-Alpha closed the door, closing them in, before his best friend could continue his rant. "There is one damn room in this house I don't want to share. Everything, this entire building is practically free for public use. I have transformed every room upstairs into a bedroom for the pack and now I will even have to change my parents' so that Peter gets a room for himself. He can't sleep like a dog for the rest of eternity.

"It's really only one room. One fucking room I want for myself, without our overeager puppies barging in day and night! Is that really too much to ask?"

Approaching his best friend, leaning casually against the other side of the garden-door, Scott shook his head. "No, it's not. You are doing your best. You are allowed a place for yourself."

A little pacified, Stiles explained, "He was upset. You saw it. Probably something Peter said. He's bound to be defensive in a new surrounding with rules he doesn't know. And we know he's an asshole most of the time. Still, it doesn't …"

Opening his arms, letting Stiles lean against his shoulder, while loosely hugging his best friend, Scott whispered. "No it doesn't. You are neither egotistic nor an asshole for wanting a single room for yourself."

After a while, Scott asked, "Wanna sleep with me tonight?"

After pondering over the question for a few moments, Stiles nodded, powering down his computer and leaving his office. He had to fight down the impulse to lock the door. Most members of this house were wolves or other supernatural creatures. Melissa would never try to come in here, Renata only ever cleaned and Allison would pick the lock in a heartbeat. It really was nothing but a gesture but Stiles abhorred to insult his pack with such a blunt display of distrust.

"I'm tired." – "We'll go to bed." Scott and Stiles said simultaneously, nodding at their pack. They were seen off with a chorus of soft 'Good Nights', but nobody asked what was wrong. They trusted their Alphas to share their worries if something concerned them all.

"I bet it was something Derek did. He smelled really upset when he went upstairs." Isaac said, seeing Allison nod her agreement. "We'll go looking for him later. Somehow I don't think that Stiles will sleep in his room tonight."

The Alphas were sleeping together. This weird family got more and more interesting. Peter was really looking forward to the next day.

~ * ~

As it turned out, Peter's estimations had been a little too optimistic. It was barely three in the morning when he heard someone rising and some low mumbling. When he finally decided that this was worth opening his eyes for, he spotted Lydia kissing Aiden's head, pulling the blanket higher over his shoulder, before reaching for her dressing gown, leaving on tiptoes.

When she didn't return for three minutes, usually the longest she needed in the bathroom at night, Peter decided to investigate. Following her scent, he spotted her in the kitchen, staring tiredly into a pot of milk, illuminated only by the meagre light above the oven. The werewolf watched the only human who had ever rejected the bite and survived with part curiosity and part concern.

She was clearly unhappy, her usually so straight back hunched, her shoulders drawn in as if she was trying to protect herself. He could even hear her shivering occasionally while stirring the milk, breaking up a chunk of chocolate and throwing the pieces into the steaming liquid. The smell was delicious and Peter felt his mouth water.

He was surprised by her subdued tone when she stated, "If you want something, you will have to change. In the cupboard under the picture in the living room are some shirts and sweatpants."

Peter retrieved a pair of trousers, not bothering with a shirt before returning to the kitchen. Lydia was currently stirring some cayenne pepper and honey into the deliciously smelling mixture before distributing it to two cups. Her hands were shaking slightly, so Peter picked them up, following her to the living room, where she started to pace in front of the windows. Something was clearly bothering her and the werewolf realized with surprise that he wanted to help.

Pulling some blankets and pillows into the corner of the main sofa, Peter mentioned. "Your hot chocolate is getting cold."

He opened his arms without thinking and after a moment or two, Lydia took the offer, snuggling into his side. He pretended not to enjoy the feeling of this warm, human body in his arms, who was trusting him that he would keep her safe. He also, under no circumstances, would ever admit that he was hugging Lydia tighter when he felt her shiver, putting his cheek on her hair like his and Talia's mother had done when they had been afraid as kids. Something troubled her, a lot obviously, but for now she seemed unwilling to talk about it.

Safe in the most unlikely embrace, but too tired to question the comfort, Lydia closed her eyes, revelling in the relative silence the proximity to the Alpha who had forced her into her gifts brought her. They drank the hot chocolate in silence, each following his or her own thoughts. She had had the same dream for the last three days and yesterday it had slipped into her waking state. She heard noises, traffic noises to be exact and it started to drive her crazy. Danger was coming, but she couldn't pinpoint the source. What good was a banshee who couldn't figure out who was about to die?

The amicable silence made Lydia relaxed more and more, the quieter the noises became in Peter's embrace. And the more silent they were, the easier she was able to listen. There were cars and fast ones from the sounds of it. She could hear people chatting, then shouting and finally fighting. Though she couldn't make out the words she was aware that things were bordering on getting violent. There were voices, two voices that somehow sounded familiar but she couldn't place them.

They were arguing, the sounds of the cars nearly overlapping them, but with Peter anchoring her, she was able to listen more attentively. They were talking about … money maybe? They were scared, that much was clear. One voice was more scared than all the others. Lydia tensed when she heard a gun clocking and barely a moment before a shot was fired; she recognized a most desperate pleading. The gunshot was not filtered through Peter's proximity, sounding loud, deafening in her head.

Lydia covered her ears and screamed.

~ * ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A scene in the show inspired me to the discussion between Scott and Stiles in Stiles home-office.   
> Can you remember which one?


	5. Banshee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remember the blond boy in the woods, the one Danny took as his thrall to ensure his sisters loyalty? Yes?  
> Well, then have fun with this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my awesome betas I have yet another chapter ready for you.  
> Thank you 'Memprime' and 'Wecant...' (well you know her name, look it up if you don't remember, I won't write this whole thing down again :P.) I really appreciate your support!

Peter felt like he was about to go deaf from the blood-curling scream the girl in his arms emitted. His ears were still ringing so he registered only distantly when doors were thrown open. What pushed him out of his daze were giant wings, folding up. The demon, Danny had transformed for a jump from the first floor, landing directly in front of Lydia.

His hands were enveloping hers and though Lydia had latched onto Peter again after her scream, she reached for Danny with her second hand, allowing the incubus to wrap his fingers around it. They looked at each other in silent communication and when seconds later the other teenagers and Mrs. McCall spilled into the living room, nobody dared to interrupt.

After a few minutes, where both Lydia and Danny took a shaky breath, nobody seemed to question why she practically sat on Peter's lap, the two nodded in agreement.

Stiles used that opportunity to take a step towards them, asking quietly, "Who will it be?"

Danny was the first one answering, "Liam. He was fretful for the last couple of days but I wrote it off as him being nervous about the upcoming report. He always tenses when he's about to see me. Apparently, this time it's more."

"Lydia?"

"I think …," the girl tried to fight her way to her feet, Peter stood and supported, mirroring the incubus on her other side. Though his instincts told him that the creature was dangerous, his priorities were clear. As long as Lydia reeked of anxiety he wouldn't retreat. He took a step back when understanding finally crashed down on him the second Lydia finished her sentence. "I think he's about to get shot."

Nobody questioned that assessment, Stiles and Scott shared a few looks, before Stiles ordered, "Alright, we are driving to Pittsburg now."

Scott picked up after Stiles announcement, commanding them like a true Alpha, "Full gear, we don't know what to expect but it won't be pretty. Arm yourself, humans wear protective gear. Move it people, we are leaving in fifteen."

Stiles held back Peter when he tried to follow Lydia up the stairs. "You are with me, you need clothes. Your wolf-pelt won't do this time."

~ * ~

Stiles put on some clothes and pulled a black bag out of his closet before turning around, looking Peter up and down. "We need to outfit you. How do you feel about jeans? I might have a pair that will fit you."

Stiles had put on some elegant black jeans, an undershirt and a red hoodie with a bullet-hole in it. Peter could smell that the package he was throwing onto the bed now held something made of Kevlar. No wonder this boy was so hard to kill, he was smart.

"Peter!" Stiles addressed him sharply. "No time to linger, someone is about to die, so jeans or dress-pants?"

"Jeans if you don't mind, and preferably a shirt without a superhero logo." Peter stated drily, assessing the information he had gathered during the last hour. When Stiles offered the clothes, Peter put them on without qualms. A part of him was pleased that his Alpha was outfitting him personally, but there were more important matters to discuss. "You seem to be awfully certain that someone is about to be killed."

Packing another bag, Stiles nodded. "I have no doubt."

"There is only one creature, who can predict death with absolute certainty." Peter continued, not letting Stiles out of his eyes for any tell-tale-signs that he was on the right track.

Sighing exasperated, Stiles pushed a bag with a change of clothes and what smelled like a knife into his hands while stating, "You know, you have this street-cred that you are a total asshole, but I thought that you would at least be slightly interested in the teenagers you have bitten."

"I didn't care, once I realized that they didn't provide the strength I needed," Peter replied, raising his chin challengingly.

"No you didn't, did you?" Stiles snorted, zipping up his own bag after checking it. "Had you shown the slightest concern, you would have known that Erica now has an army of girls and boys under her care that work in our clubs or walk the streets for us. That Boyd with his visible strength and silent compassion learned to stand up to every dick who hurts them. That Isaac became a confident and strong young man, willing to put his life on the line and that your first victim, Scott McCall became a true Alpha.

"You would have known all of that and also that there are very few creatures that can't be turned into a werewolf. That the smart girl you have bitten woke to the powers of her family, becoming one of the most powerful Banshees in the area. Together they would have been strong enough to take on your sister. At least with the right Alpha to guide them."

Shaking his head, half angry and half embarrassed about the implied scolding in Stiles' words, Peter concentrated on the new information he had gathered right now, "You said 'one of the most powerful Banshees'."

Smiling sharply, Stiles nodded, when walking out of the door. "Yes, I did. And for the foreseeable future, you will pick your brain on the other person who could predict deaths and how you can reach him or her and how to use him or her to your advantage."

Laughing humourlessly, Stiles told the werewolf, "I'm not stupid, Peter. I don't buy your act of the compliant werewolf-pet for a second. But half of the teenagers in this house were turned by you and no matter how little you want to admit it, you are bound to them. My wolves wanted you, so here you are. As long as you don't screw us over, you can plot all you want. But before you act, I expect a full briefing. Are we clear?"

Surprised by the teenager's easy attitude, Peter looked into Stiles' eyes for a long moment. The human did not waver, did not look away, so Peter finally gave in, aware that resistance would get him nowhere. "Yes, Alpha."

~ * ~

They spilled into their different cars. Isaac chose the company car for Stiles, since it was inconspicuous and heavily armed. Derek, who didn't dare to assume that he was allowed to ride with Stiles, nearly sagged with relief when Isaac ordered, "Get into the back with him. We don't know what to expect ahead of our arrival."

All throughout the thirty minute ride, Derek tried to muster the courage to apologize to Stiles. They had nearly reached their destination when he finally began, "Stiles, about today, I …"

But Stiles interrupted him by raising his hand. The teenager looked from Peter – who rode shotgun to Derek and back for a brief moment before concentrating on the werewolf by his side. "You were upset, I saw that on the video feed and maybe we will have time to address that later. I can't say that I feel bad about you seeing my office as a sanctuary but still, you are not allowed to enter without my explicit permission. And now that we have established that, we can concentrate on what is about to happen."

Hanging his head, Derek mumbled, "Yes, Stiles."

Stiles checked his gun before putting it away. His dad had taught him to take care of the weapon you depended on and Stiles had always heeded that warning. "Alright, we will do this fast and as clean as possible. No shifting and no getting shot. I mean it this time," Stiles implored before Scott started separating their pack into groups.

"Boyd, Erica you're with Allison. Aiden and Peter are with Lydia. Ethan and I will stay close to Danny, we all know how the incubus gets when one of his thralls is threatened. Isaac, Derek, you're with Stiles."

The Alpha was the first one to approach the building once Lydia nodded towards a door at the side. Despite being locked, it stood no chance against Scott's strength. The sounds of cars came closer and when a couple of them passed them by, not even noticing them since they were much too fast, the noise of them made Lydia shiver. Instantly Aiden stepped closer to protect her, but it was Peter's arm on her hand, that made her relax again.

When the pack arrived at the first floor, arguing could be heard. They tried to be as quiet as possible. But when another series of cars drove by, a shot could be heard and Lydia started to scream again. Pulling out their weapons the teenagers barged into the room, finding a hysteric Marie with her arms wrapped around her little brother, who heavily bled from a stomach wound.

The members of the gang lost their will to fight when they saw the blood of a teenager spreading over the floor. Danny roared angrily and tore into the shooter, Stiles didn't even bother holding him back. The incubus was always insanely protective of his thralls and since Liam would most likely not survive this, Stiles didn't want to keep the demon from executing his revenge.

Everybody but Marie fled when the chance presented itself. She alone stayed behind, hugging her brother to her chest, near hysteric but still coherent enough to plea, not bothering to question their presence. "Help him, please, whatever you do, whatever magic you possess, please, help him! This is not his fault!"

The world was a dark place, every member of this family knew that and even with Aiden's support, Peter had troubles holding Lydia who seemed to break at the sight of the dying boy.

Scott, the most compassionate one of them all stepped up to Maria, slowly taking Liam into his arms as well, offering comfort and pain relieve although Stiles could see that it nearly tore him apart. The Alpha's voice was soft and caring when he whispered, "I'm sorry Marie. But there is nothing we can do."

Looking around, making the decision for him, Stiles stepped behind Scott and put his hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Most of us can't Scott, but you can."

Scott looked up at Stiles and shook his head. "It could kill him!"

"Look at him, He's already dying! At least with you he would has a chance!" Stiles urged, determined to make his best friend understand.

Desperately Maria pleaded again, "Please! If there is anything you can do, please try!"

Scott looked up at Danny who stood over the entrails of the shooter, as if waiting for permission. And the demon too took a step forward, not bothering about the blood on his fangs and claws, kneeling before his Alpha, reaching for his thrall who was barely breathing any longer, he implored, "Do it, Scott. Please! If he doesn't survive it, I won't hold it against you. At least we will know that we have tried everything we can."

Looking at the pale boy on the floor, Scott pulled him fully into his arms and lifted Liam's small hand to his mouth. His eyes were glowing brighter than the sun when he shifted and sunk his teeth into the boy's flesh.

~ * ~

For the longest time nobody said a word. Maria had wrapped her shirt around her brother's wound, even though it did very little to stop the blood-flow. After an hour, when the bleeding had finally stopped, Scott and Danny raised Liam from the floor, carefully carrying him to Stiles' car.

Not bleeding any longer could have two reasons: one there was no blood left, an absolute possibility since the floor in the factory was now painted red. Second, the bite had taken. For now nobody could tell. When Marie tried to follow, Stiles stepped into her way. "You can't come with us. Liam is one of us now, one way or the other. You have to go upstairs and clean away the blood. You still have business to attend to and until now you apparently did a very poor job, if your people dared to shoot your brother."

Turning around he gestured towards Lydia, Aiden and Peter. "I trust those three implicitly. They will help you set up your business and take care of every associate you can't get under control yourself."

Though his friend was still pale, Stiles knew that Lydia was up to the task. Aiden was enough muscle to protect her and Peter's street cred and ruthlessness would make this a swift assignment.

With tears still streaming down her cheeks, she whispered brokenly, "Why are you taking him from me? If this saves him, why can't I come with you?"

"Because what he might become will be hard enough to control. He can't afford divided loyalties. I'm sorry Marie, but as far as you're concerned, your brother died tonight." Stiles really was not a huge fan of cutting families ties, but he knew that, if this teenager survived the night, Liam would have a hard time controlling himself, even in a house full of werewolves. Being constantly afraid to hurt his own sister would not help. It might be cruel but it had to be done. Maybe in a month or a year, Liam could return, but not now. Better for Marie to lower her expectations. That way she would less likely break under the strain.

~ * ~

Scott held Liam's hand during the entire ride home. The incubus had pulled his little thrall into his lap and was constantly whispering assurances into his ears. Stiles could see the three of them in the rear-view mirror of the car. He was well aware of Isaac watching his boyfriend, his Alpha, attentively.

"He never wanted to change anyone, you know that." Isaac mumbled half way through the ride. "Because he thought the bite to be a curse for the longest time."

Nodding Stiles looked at his enforcer. "I know, but do you think he would have ever forgiven himself if the thought came to him belatedly that he might have been able to save this kid?"

That Liam still might die was a thought neither of them wanted to entertain.

~ * ~

When they returned home it was close to sunrise, and Stiles texted Meredith that neither he nor Isaac or Danny should be expected in today. Meredith didn't ask, either knowing what was going on, or not caring beyond the amount of work she would have to put on hold or redistribute.

The pack all curled up on various soft surfaces in the living room, watching Liam who lay on the couch, breathing weakly but for now steadily. When Melissa returned from the night-shift she blanched at the sight of the bloody teenager on their sofa. Instantly she woke the pack from their doze, ordering them to get her the first aid kit, clean towels and a pair of scissors because god damn it, why had they thought that a victim lying in his own blood could ever be a good idea?

Sheepishly the wolves and humans obeyed and after twenty minutes it turned out that Melissa's arrival had been a blessing. Once the remnants of the boy's clothes were cut away, the pack could get a clear look at the wound. And though it was still open and raw, they could watch the blood flow through unharmed arteries, indicating that, even if it might take time, Liam would heal.

The bite had taken.

~ * ~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, by the way, I do have a tumblr account: [Anchanee](http://anchanee.tumblr.com/)


	6. Business as usual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this case, we watch Lydia doing business on Stiles' behalf, with the help of two very supportive werewolves.

While the pack was hovering around Liam's sickbed (or sick-couch) Lydia had checked herself, Aiden and Peter into a gorgeous business apartment in Pittsburg.

At Peter's questioning gaze, Aiden had only shrugged and had started to raid the cupboards while Lydia claimed the small dinner table and established some kind of home office with her phone and a notebook. Logging into the family network she pointed towards the doors by her side. "You can pick a bedroom, Peter, and maybe sleep a little. We will go out later and round these people up."

"Doing what?" Peter rested his hands on the back of Lydia's chair, looking over her shoulder where data-streams were running faster than he could take them in. He had expected Lydia to tense when crowding her like that. Mostly because everybody did that, but instead the girl looked up at him and shot him a wolfish grin – his sister really could take a leaf out of her book – stating drily, "What we do best."

She simply turned around after that and made a dismissive gesture. "Now get some sleep or go out and burn of some energy, pups. I will need about two to three hours before I will need you again."

Eying the bedrooms, Peter whipped around when Aiden slapped his back. "Come on, there is a park on an island not far from here. Great for running."

Drily Peter stated, "There is no bridge to this island and I'm not the type to row a boat. How do you plan on getting there?"

But Aiden only shook his head and laughed. "Swimming of course. It's not as if we will need clothes on the other side."

When Peter shot him a dry look, Aiden laughed. "What? Are you a cat or a wolf? Come on, it will be fun. And afterwards we will buy the love of my life some breakfast."

Crowding into the personal space of his girl, Aiden buried his nose deep in Lydia's neck and rumbled lowly when the girl trailed her fingers through his hair and pulled him down for a passionate kiss. He rumbled pleasantly when Lydia nipped his bottom lip before pulling away. "You do want me to bring you breakfast?"

"Yes, that would be great. Hard to intimidate someone with a growling stomach." The girl smiled, eyes already fixed on the screen again.

On their way out, Aiden mentioned, "I made you tea, it should be ready in about two minutes."

~ * ~

They jogged towards the harbour, running along the water's edge to find a place to strip and dive in. Not bothering with the beautiful sunrise, Peter asked provokingly, "How long since you became a pet for this family?"

Aware of where this was going, Aiden had long since learned about the werewolf and his demeanour, because Peter had been important for half the teenagers in the Stilinski household for as long as he had been with them, the teenager replied, "Longer than you, and I did not even get a nice collar." He smiled at the sub vocal growl, unconcerned, and shedding his clothes.

They shifted on their way to the island, revelling in stretching muscles they used far too little. Peter had to admit that Aiden had been right. The island was pleasant, more a playground than a wilderness, but still nice enough to blow off some steam. When they spotted a fat, little rabbit, instincts took over and within moments they were chasing the little bunny through the bushes. Taking the lead by shoving Peter sideways into a small stream, Aiden went for the kill and was eagerly wiggling his tail, dashing off after the small mammal.

The other werewolf needed very little time to catch up with Aiden, but still he respected the kill and stayed away when the wolf started to tear into the rabbit. Peter's stomach started to grumble when he smelled the fresh, warm blood but still he didn't approach. The chase had been fun, even when the outcome was frustrating. But it had given him a chance to get his instincts under control again. It would do him no good to antagonize Aiden, who had been longer in this pack, by contesting his kill.

Peter looked up when he heard a low whine and Aiden was shoving the rabbit into his direction. The little animal was missing a hind-leg and the belly was torn apart, but there was still enough of it left for a decent bite. Peter looked up at the other wolf, tilting his head, but the teen only shoved the torn bunny again, returning to the hind-leg he had bitten off before, tearing off strips of flesh while watching the other werewolf.

After taking a cautious bite, Peter realized that this was not some kind of trap or power play but the other wolf honestly wanting to share his prey. He wondered what made this boy act that way because he knew that, were positions were reversed, he would have kept everything to himself. In the animal kingdom there was no compassion. In this pack however, there was.

When there was nothing left but bones, they returned to the shore, drinking their fill before returning to the main land. Though they had shaken out their pelts, they were slightly damp after shifting when they put on their clothes again. Peter was surprised when Aiden entered a diner not far from the apartment, but the teenager only explained, "Breakfast for Lyds. You don't want her hungry and grumpy when working. Believe me."

"You sound like you're afraid of your own girlfriend." Peter teased. He was aware how very scary female wolves could be. But Lydia was no wolf. She was a banshee and usually very tame in her interactions.

Ordering an herbal tea and an omelette with sprouts and goat cheese, Aiden turned around, looking at Peter. They left the diner before the boy answered. "Peter, allow me one piece of advice: don't underestimate this girl. Lydia is Stiles' right hand. There is nothing about his organization she doesn't know. He trusts her to make decisions in his absence without consulting him. Do you really think that she has earned that trust by wearing short skirts and flashing easy smiles?"

When they returned to the apartment, Lydia was emerging from one bedroom, wearing a short, black skirt, a starched, white blouse and a shimmering black vest over it. She wore heels that made both men wince to even look at them, but she was all easy smile and confidence when she kissed Aiden's cheek to thank him for breakfast and shooed the two of them into the shower to clean up.

When Peter emerged from the bathroom he found a black suit with a white dress-shirt laid out for him, complete with underwear and shoes. He noticed that they fit him decently as he was putting them on. It was not perfect but seemed to be his size. He had to admire Lydia's taste as he inspected himself in the mirror.

Leaving the bedroom, he found the couple arguing in the living-room where Lydia was currently stashing away her laptop. "I don't care, Aiden. We are three people, that's enough protection!"

"All I am saying, Lyds, is that it would do you good to keep a weapon on you. It's not as if our guns are so heavy that they will drag your handbag to the floor. Not with the laptop in it anyway!" the teenager argued, trying to reach for his girlfriend's shoulder.

Exasperated, Lydia put the bag on the floor and put her hands on her hips, looking up at the wolf. "Neither have I, nor will I ever wear a weapon when we are working. That's what you are here for, you and Peter. The three-person-policy is there for a reason as you are very well aware of, Aiden. I won't barge in anywhere wielding a gun. That's not my style!"

"And your style is what? Getting shot? How is that any better?" Aiden shouted, throwing up his arms in frustration. Peter could smell the worry coming off of him. This was not a lover's quarrel but an earnest concern for the young woman's wellbeing. Their work was dangerous, everybody knew that and the girl's rejection of a weapon made no sense to Peter. At least not until Lydia stepped up to Aiden and put her hands on his cheeks to make him look at her.

In an intense voice she reminded the boy, "No, Aiden. My style is trusting the wolves who are here for my protection. Between you and Peter, who could ever come close enough to harm me?"

Oh my god, this girl was good. Displaying utter faith in the people she was working with, putting her own life on the line to proof it. When they left the apartment Peter asked under his breath, "A banshee predicts death. What about their own?"

The tiny smile that dragged up Lydia's lips was nearly unnoticeable, as was her soft answer, "Very good, Peter."

~ * ~

For the next few hours they walked through town and whenever Lydia pointed at someone, Aiden, Peter or both told that person in no uncertain terms, that he was expected at the clan's warehouse around noon. It was a boring and tedious job and Peter got more and more restless. He had dealt with petty girls and guys on the streets before and more and more Aiden stayed behind, letting him do all the work.

The enforcer of the Hale-pack was cold, ruthless and unemotional. He had done this a million times and he was bored out of his mind. The rules with these kids were the same they had been with Talia: no wolfing out, no using powers, just intimidating the people to do what he wanted. He had done that for more than five years and though had he felt compassion at the beginning, it had long since been burned away by the monotony of the work and the stupidity of human nature. He was feared in their own territory and here people would learn very fast to fear him as well.

He was surprised that neither Aiden nor Lydia leashed him back in, the more brutal he became, shoving people against the wall, proving his point. So he sank back into the mind-set he had occupied ever since the fire working more or less on auto-pilot. When they made their way back to the part to the warehouse. Peter was surprised by the emotions flaring up when Lydia smiled at him and complimented, "Very good, Peter. Soon your bad-ass reputation will spread into our own territory as well."

The clap on the shoulder by Aiden was unexpected and Peter nearly growled at the boy, but realized that this was not some sort of harsh reminder who was in charge, but a gesture of pride from a pack-mate. Still the werewolf had the urge to snarl, to push the person away who dared to belittle him with petty compliments. But he didn't because from the smell of it, both Aiden and Lydia were honestly proud of the work he had just done for them. And wasn't that a confusing feeling, to be proud of your work instead of merely doing it and feeling nothing?

Talia had never bothered. She had told him to get a job done and he had obeyed. He had given his reports with more sarcasm than necessary lacing though them and she had accepted them either with a nod or a berating for a subjective failure. She had never given a compliment, never offered encouragement. He was her brother, she trusted him to obey since he had chosen to remain in her pack, even after gaining his Alpha-status.

These kids were … different, and when they chose a small restaurant for lunch, Peter was lost in his own head, analysing the change in his social standing. It was not much, not really. Lydia had all but said a few words to him. But the way she looked at him, the way she touched him, it suggested confidence, not in herself but in Peter and his abilities. Aiden acted very much the same, hell the wolf even left him behind with his girlfriend, picking up the meals for them.

Peter pondered flirting with Lydia, just like he had done it with every pretty man and woman in his own pack. But the first attempt somehow felt wrong to him, not the easy game he had played to rile up his own family. Not only because Lydia had simply laughed it off and shared the compliment she had received with her boyfriend, who had simply agreed, but because the idea of riling these teenagers up was … simply not right.

~ * ~

The gathering at the warehouse put a strain on both werewolves' nerves. They were becoming restless when Lydia explained the change in leadership to the people of this clan. She even listened patiently to their complaints for a few minutes.

Aiden honestly hated this part of negotiations whenever they claimed a new territory or business. He had gone through this twice and two times Lydia had been able to talk some sense into the people who were as of then under new management. She had made them accept Stiles as the new owner of the territory in question, simply by pointing out the advantages the young boy offered over their old leader.

The young wolf wanted to pace, wanted to work off the energy that was building up with every loud word that was thrown in Lydia's direction. When some jerk actually approached her, he was before her in a flash, as was Peter he noticed with satisfaction. Though Lyds had told him repeating that the new wolf was on their side, after everything that had happened to him, Aiden was mistrustful towards werewolves who abandoned their packs. Especially because of his brother's and his own history. They had killed their pack after all to gain their Alpha powers.

Peter had tried to test him, had pushed during their work and had provoked him by hitting on his girl. But Aiden had been aware that it was just a game. He was settled enough in the relationship with his banshee that he didn't see the other wolf as a threat. Lydia might leave him one day for some smart and gorgeous genius, who offered more than strong arms and uttermost devotion. Stiles for example was exactly her type. Yet she had never even entertained the thought of switching Aiden for their human Alpha. So if the greatest possible threat in their family was no threat at all, Aiden had no reason to be afraid of a new wolf with a big mouth and words dripping with honey. His girl was too smart to fall for that.

However, said new wolf was actually proving his loyalty by reacting to a threat without hesitation. So slowly Aiden relaxed around him, even allowing Peter to pull him back a little when his claws threatened to break the skin of the man who had threateningly stepped up to Lydia. Aiden didn't even want to imagine what Stiles would do to him, if he brought back Lydia in less than stellar condition.

~ * ~

After half an hour of useless discussions, where Lydia had allowed these people to rant and rave, she sighed deeply and stated, "You know what, I have really hoping you would see reason. But apparently, the concept is too hard for you."

She was turning to leave, when Marie stepped into her way, panic lighting up her eyes. "I'm sorry, please, don't go. Just … I need more time. I can convince them, I know it. Please … please don't go away!" The desperation in the last whispered words was palpable and the strawberry-blonde genius was well aware that Marie couldn't care less about these people, all she wanted was a chance to see her brother again, and Liam had been taken away by Stiles. Without a connection to the Stilinski family, she would lose all ties to her brother as well.

Still, Lydia shook her head, "They don't listen to reason and thirty minutes is my limit." Looking at Aiden and Peter, she stated, not even bothering to raise her voice, because she knew that the werewolves would hear her even over the loud arguing of these people, "I'll go and fetch coffee. You want some?"

"Yea, sure." Aiden nodded, taking off his jacket and opening his dress-shirt.

"Coffee?" Peter asked confused, but when Aiden nodded encouragingly, he agreed as well. "Yes, please."

Once the girl was on her way towards the exit, he looked at the other wolf for directions. None of this made sense to him, as little as Aiden taking off his jacket and shirt, motioning for him to do the same. At the confused look of Peter, he explained, "They don't listen to her talking reason. So we have to convince them."

Turning around at the door one last time, Lydia addressed the wolves. Her smile was sinister when she called upon them, "Oh, and boys?" When they turned around she ordered, "No claws." before leaving the building.

Only blunt injuries. Peter turned around, shedding his jacket and shirt, smiling at Aiden menacingly. Oh yes. This was going to be fun.

~ * ~

When Lydia returned with coffee and a package of wet-wipes fifteen minutes later, half the members of the gang lay groaning on the floor. The other half stood next to the walls, appearing as if they wanted to fuse with them. They were pale and none of them were uninjured. Still, there was very little blood to be seen and most injuries appeared to be below the neckline. She stepped over an unconscious guy who nearly blocked the doorway, opening the wipes and throwing them into the general direction of the wolves. Both Aiden and Peter started to clean off the few drops of blood that speckled their bodies and wipe away the sweat they had worked up before reaching for their clothes.

Once clean they bounded around her like over-eager puppies, drawn by the overpriced, heavenly smelling coffee. Aiden reached for one of the cups with the black coffee, kissing her cheek and went to enjoy the hot beverage. When Peter tried to reach for the second one, Lydia covered his hand, smiling up at him, offering her cheek. "First you pay."

She laughed and rubbed her skin where Peter had first nuzzled her cheek and then licked it, before stealing away his coffee. Lydia offered the fourth cup to a shivering Maria who had stayed out of the way, when Aiden and Peter had beaten up the other members of the gang. The girl's soft hand on her shoulder did very little to ease her, but Lydia didn't seem to care. Sipping her coffee, she stepped into the middle of these people.

"You know, we can do this again, and again, and again, as often as you need to understand that I am not trying to convince you, but simply telling you how it will be from now on." Taking another sip, she licked her red lips and brushed her hair over her shoulder, looking around. "So the choice really is yours. I can go and get some sandwiches, giving my associates the chance to talk to you again. Or you can stand up and listen to me, because I am not the kind of girl who likes to repeat herself."

For a moment, several men looked at Aiden and Peter who still stood with open dress-shirts next to the table, calmly drinking their hot beverages. Then they quietly got to their feet, steadying those who had been beaten up worst. Lydia gave them time, allowed them to fight their way up, gathering in the middle of the ware-house once again. They all looked at her with honest to god fear in their eyes, something Lydia noticed with grim satisfaction. People were stupid and she didn't like them seeing beat up. But if they proved their stupidity for an extended period of time, she lost her inhibitions and allowed whatever wolf was with her free reign.

When the people were standing, supporting each other for the most part, she gestured for Marie to come to her. Putting her hand on the young woman's shoulder, she started again, "Alright, let's try this one more time."

~ * ~


	7. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek discovers something about his past. Well, his and Stiles, actually. No, his and Stiles and Scott's and Lydia's and Erica's and Boyd's and Danny's and Isaac's to be exact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, some of you might have noticed that my posting became less and less regular and I stopped giving this story the attention it deserves. Though I slightly regret that, I can't apologize for it, since in comparison to what had been going on with my life, fanfiction became unimportant. Though I participated in the NaNoWriMo (and I am close to winning) I only wrote with half of my heart and didn't give much thought to editing. I know you all had to face the consequences of it but to be honest: I really didn't care.
> 
> The truth - and really the only thing that matters in my life at the moment - is that my dad had died on the 7th of November this year after having suffered from lung cancer for the last five months. His funeral is on Thursday the 27th of November and I ... well, I don't really know how to feel at the moment. I am crying. And I try to support my mum and try to be a good mother for my little boy who has a hard time coming to terms with his grandfather not being around any longer. 
> 
> You don't have to feel sorry for me because honestly I am glad that my dad doesn't suffer any more. It could have only gotten worse after the fifth chem-therapy and I am glad he died with as little pain as he did. Still, everything feels off at the moment and though I want to post this story because somehow it still matters, I can't give it all the attention it needs and for that I am sorry. I know I can write better, just not at the moment.
> 
> Still, I wish for all of you to have a great day and a great week and a great Christmas time and if you would grant me one wish: If you have the people that matter to you the most around you, tell them that you love them, at least once in a while. Believe me, it feels good to know that they know how much they mean to you.
> 
> Hugs and Kisses  
> Daniela

While Lydia, Aiden and Peter got the new Pittsburg branch under control, the rest of the pack hovered by Liam's side taking turns guarding the new wolf. Scott and Danny had to be peeled away from him with a crowbar whenever Stiles needed them at the office or out in the streets.

Derek could smell the concern saturating the house and tried to make up for his Alpha's absence in the streets by accompanying Ethan most days. Luckily most dealers who worked for them were low maintenance. The werewolves patrolled the streets, talked to the dealers, the vendors and generally made sure that everything was alright.

By now, Derek was able to realize how different Stiles' style was from his mother's. Talia ruled by fear. People were deadly scared of her and betrayal and fraud were at a minimum. But Stiles … the members of the Stilinski family were well respected. People spoke their minds, one vendor even dared to ask to delay his payment, because he wanted to expand his shop, something that had to be agreed upon by Stiles. But after a brief call to the head of the family, Ethan and the vendor settled on reducing his payments by half until the renovations were complete and afterwards it would be increased by fifteen percent because a larger shop would make for a higher income.

At the end of the week, Derek even got to know one of the few fences who worked for the Stilinski family. That turned out to be a quite unpleasant encounter for the person in question. Apparently, Stiles tolerated the dealing with stolen goods as long as he got his fair share. But when Derek smelled monkshood and started to investigate, Ethan made it very clear very violently that the head of their family didn't like his people trading with goods suitable to harm werewolves. The fence ended with a cracked rib and a black eye, before he handed over all the monkshood and the wolfsbane-bullets he had kept hidden.

This would need further investigation because if a vendor sold these items someone had to have sold them to him in the first place. Derek was reasonably sure that that person was not Chris Argent, because from what he gathered, the hunter was in allegiance with the Stilinski-clan and his loyalty was unquestioned. Still, when he asked Ethan about it, the teenager made a non-committal noise, derailing from the subject by claiming that he had to talk to Stiles about it.

~ * ~

When they returned to the house that afternoon, the living room was back to its original state, no longer resembling a hospital room. After a shower, Derek put on his favourite jeans and a black shirt, entering the back-yard to investigate where the laughter and fighting noises came from. Ethan was already sitting at the bottom of the steps, offering his beer, while watching as Danny and Scott gave Liam his first lesson in self-defence.

After taking a sip, Derek leaned against the railing, watching the two werewolves fighting the incubus. Danny truly was a sight to behold and the werewolf could understand why his boyfriend sat there, enjoying the show. Wearing nothing but long, black trousers, Danny's body was glistering with sweat. He displayed the grace and agility of a giant cat, taunting Liam to hit him, but twisting away at the very last moment, letting the wolf stumble because he was constantly misjudging his momentum.

Danny oozed desirability, even when fighting, and Derek felt himself harden in his trousers. Though he knew that he should pull back, return to the house, he was not able to move. A shiver ran through him, when he felt a soft breath at his ear, whispering, "Danny's a sight to behold, isn't he?"

Stiles, the worst person to catch him in such a state, was standing right behind him. Close enough to hear Derek's elevated breathing, close enough to provide a much better target for the werewolf's desires. A target Derek would have chosen in the first place, had Stiles not made clear that he would not touch Derek until it was absolutely necessary. But a small part of the werewolf's brain said 'screw that and take him!' despite knowing that this was a recipe for disaster.

Gathering all of his courage, Derek turned around, aware of how close Stiles still was to him, whispering hoarsely, "He's not the only one," before leaning in, brushing the faintest kiss over Stiles' lips. And Stiles returned the gesture, chasing Derek's lips before the wolf could pull back.

The teenager leaned in, enjoying the feeling of skin on skin before he reached for the werewolf's neck, pulling him back by it like an unruly puppy. "Sorry, this … this is a mistake, Derek. You're worked up from Danny's pheromones. No matter how little I like it, this is not what you want." And with that, Stiles stepped back and practically fled into the house.

Feeling like he had been hit by a cold shower, Derek remained at the porch, looking after Stiles, back to Danny and then returned his gaze to the door Stiles had vanished through.

"He won't do it again, you know?" Ethan spoke up, clearly aware of Derek's confusion.

"What?" Derek croaked, before taking a deep breath, his voice now steadier when he clarified his question. "He won't do what again?"

"Taking advantage of you like that," Ethan shrugged, looking at his boyfriend, before returning his eyes to Derek. "He doesn't know you want him. We never told him, because we think that this is something he has to hear from you and no one else. It doesn't affect your work, so we thought we should stay out of it."

"Who's we?"

"The pack."

"The entire pack?" Derek rasped, terrified of the idea that every last member of this house knew about his infatuation with Stiles.

Replaying the last few moments in his mind, trying to decipher how much of a fool he had made of himself, one sentence sprung out to him. "What did he mean with 'No matter how little he likes it'? What does he not like?"

Grinning, Ethan turned away again and for a moment Derek was sure that the boy wouldn't answer. But then the teenager admitted in a low voice. "It's not my place to say, as fun as it is talking about your feelings to the object of your affection. Let's just say Stiles knew a lot about you, even before we suspected that you would be offered as payment."

"A lot about me? What did he know?" Derek wondered, really, none of this made any sense. He had not even realized that Scott had left Liam behind to deal with the incubus alone until the soft voice of his Alpha could be heard behind him.

Scott was wiping away sweat from his face, smiling up at Derek with an undecipherable expression, revealing slow, nearly hesitant, "The number on your lacrosse uniform …

"What you preferred for lunch and where you liked to eat it …

"That you had history every Thursday afternoon in the classroom right across the hall from the chemistry lab."

"But that …" Derek stammered. These were things from high school, small, insignificant things Stiles should have no knowledge of. The boy was younger than him, if they had been in school together it could not be more than one season with Stiles starting and Derek in his final year.

"Don't ask questions, Derek," Scott told him. "At least, don't ask us questions Stiles holds the answers to. And if you really want answers, go after him, because I can tell you one thing: Stiles will never come to you. You were brought here as a substitute for payment, and despite the fact that you stayed, you have still been forced in the first place. Stiles would never want to put any pressure on you. Not with this, never with something like this."

"So you think that he …," the older wolf started again, but his voice drifted off, when he realized that he had not the slightest clue of how to finish this question.

But his Alpha stepped up to him with a smile, placing a hand on Derek's shoulder, squeezing it encouragingly. "No, Derek, I don't _think_ , I _know_! But what you will do with that knowledge, is entirely up to you."

~ * ~

Stiles had just finished a very, very cold shower and now stood before his wardrobe, deciding on what to wear for the rest of the day; preferably something wide and non-restricting. Danny's mood was always affecting him, more when he was close. It happened with every one of them. But since he was the demon's master and had a direct line to the incubus, he felt the joy and pleasure the strongest. The fact that Derek had stood there, in tight jeans and a shirt that could as well be painted on, had done nothing to ease his desire. So he had given in, had allowed Derek to kiss him, had even chased after the wolf he had fallen for five years ago, without any regard for the consequences.

But this was a bad idea. Derek had been in no position to make a choice so Stiles had caught himself in the very last moment, pulling away. Luckily he had managed to leave without violating the werewolf's trust. The mere memory of what had just happened was enough to make little Stiles all eager again, and the teenager cursed his overactive libido. Not even the cold droplets of water still running over his back did anything to ease his desire.

~ * ~

Oh my god, Stiles had just taken a shower and had not even had the time to dress. Derek was hovering at the door, looking at the mole-dotted skin of Stiles back, following the droplets of water with his eyes, wishing he could trace them with his tongue until they were disappearing under the towel around Stiles' waist. Maybe even further …

But he couldn't do this. Couldn't put himself on the line if he was not absolutely sure that Stiles wanted him back, wanted him and not only for fooling around with, but really him, just because he was Derek and not someone he could take advantage of. Scott and Ethan thought it possible, had even encouraged him, and yet there was a but …

Gathering all of his courage he stepped up to Stiles, crowded him against the wardrobe so that the teenager had to steady himself against the walls of the furniture. So close, Stiles' scent was hitting Derek fully, making his wolf eager to taste and claim, but he had to be sure. He didn't trust his own voice and his words sounded raspy and out of breath when he asked, "What was the number on my lacrosse shirt?"

"Eleven," Stiles, too, sounded slightly out of breath, though he hid it much better than the wolf.

"What class did I have on Thursday afternoon in my senior year?"

"History, the room was across from the …"

"… the chemistry lab." They finished the sentence in unison. Lowering his head, closing the last distance between them, Derek dared to lick a stripe of wet skin on Stiles' shoulder. Encouraged by the quiet groan, and the view of Stiles' fingers turning white because of how hard he was clutching the wardrobe, the werewolf decided on one last question.

The chances that Stiles knew the answer, were slim to none. The number on his shirt and history class were not that hard to figure out. But this last question was personal, it would mean that the boy really had paid attention and more importantly had considered the information, considered Derek important enough to memorize such a fact. Slowly rubbing his nose over Stiles neck, the werewolf whispered, "Where was my locker?"

"Facing," Stiles swallowed heavily, tiling his head to give Derek better access before continuing, "Facing the library, right side of the door and third one down. You liked to spend your free periods in there."

Satisfied, Derek grumbled as he wrapped his arms around the boy, pulling him flushed against his body, not caring that his shirt was getting wet. For a few moment Stiles allowed that, even pushed back to get more contact, but all of a sudden a thought seemed to cross his mind and he pushed back so strongly that Derek had to step back, giving Stiles room to wiggle out of his embrace in the process.

When the teenager turned around, the werewolf could barely make out the rings of warm brown around black irises. Still, when he reached for Stiles again, the boy but both hands on the werewolf's chest, pushing him back. Panting heavily, shivering all over, Stiles shook his head, "Derek, don't."

"Why?" the werewolf demanded to know, trying to get close again. "You want me, I can see it, I can smell it, and it's not a recent thing. You wanted me all along!"

"Yes," Stiles admitted, drawn to the wolf but forcefully holding himself back. The teenager shook his head as if that would clear it, but Derek's broad chest under his hands did very little to help him cooling down. "Yes, Derek, I want you. But I'm a pimp, a dealer and a murderer. But I certainly am no rapist. I will never, ever take advantage of you and allowing this to continue right now would mean exactly that.

"You are worked up from Danny's pheromones. I know it because I feel them too, probably even more than you because I am his master. I can’t say I don't want you because God knows I do. But I can't do this. Not when your head isn’t clear. Think about this. Turn around, leave and really think about this. Is this what you truly want, or is this your body egging you on because of the magic of an incubus?"

"I want you!" Derek assured Stiles. "Wanted you from the moment we met. Even with that stupid collar. My wolf was convinced that you were a good person right from the start. This is really me!"

Pain so strong that it made Derek's breath catch, clouded Stiles' features before the boy stepped back, shaking his head. "Leave, Derek. I can't do this. Not tonight."

"Stiles, I …"

"LEAVE!"

Shocked and hurt by the shouted command, Derek whipped around and fled from the room, taking two stairs at one, leaving the house.

~ * ~

After a few minutes, Scott knocked on the door of Stiles' bedroom, and found his best friend sitting on the bed, still only clad in a towel, staring unseeing at his own hands. Closing the door, Scott claimed a spot on the bed next to Stiles, offering his silent support before asking. "What happened?"

"Derek came on to me." Stiles voice sounded dead, like all emotion had been washed out of it.

Confused Scott asked, "But isn't that a good thing? You want him, wanted him since high school and this way you don't even have to worry about taking advantage."

Snorting without humour, Stiles explained, "Oh yes, my thoughts exactly. When I voiced my concerns he told me that he had always wanted me, even without Danny's magic. Ever since the day we first met. Even with me putting the collar around his neck. His 'wolf' was drawn to me, knowing that I was a good person. Apparently the wolf didn't care about being chained down by me."

"Crap."

"He doesn't even remember," Stiles whispered, voice thick with tears now. "I will always be the Don, the leader of this family, the person who decides his fate. How can I sleep with him, if that's all he sees? How can this ever be me NOT taking advantage?"

"It was our first year in high school. We were young, Stiles. We have changed." Scott reminded his best friend softly, putting an arm around Stiles shoulder, pulling him close.

"I know," the other teenager whispered, leaning into the comforting embrace. "I know."

~ * ~

Sitting frozen where he had hidden in the bushes under Stiles' window for the last few minutes, Derek slowly straightened. He had dashed out the front door, but his wolf's compulsion to return had been too strong for him to overcome. And because he had not felt strong enough to face Stiles during dinner, he had circled around the house, and hid under Stiles window like some pathetic romance-novel character.

But his cowardice had been a blessing, since he had discovered more than he could have ever hoped for and in the fraction of a second he made a decision. Going inside once again, hoping that Scott and Stiles would stay upstairs for a little while longer, he grabbed his jacket and the keys to Laura's Camaro. He needed very little time to reach the Beacon Hills High School, and since it might be late but not too late, he was able to convince the janitor – after a generous donation – to allow him to slip into the library. Derek only needed a few minutes to find the yearbook of his senior year and when the janitor asked him if he wanted a copy for himself, Derek offered a fifty for the man's troubles.

He left the school a little while later, with a slightly damp and mouldy smelling book under his arm. Buying a bottle of booze, like he and his friends would have done in his senior year, he sat on one of the benches that lined the lacrosse field, studying the yearbook until he reached the section of the first years. He didn't need long to spot the pictures of Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski, both displaying goofy grins that were hidden behind braces in Stiles' case. He found Erica Reyes' picture, showing a pale girl with unruly hair and Vernon Boyd's that depicted the stoic expression Boyd was so famous for nowadays. He even found the picture of a scared looking, curly haired boy with the name of Isaac Lahey written underneath.

They were all there, even the genius Lydia Martin and the handsome Danny Mahealani, who looked most like their adult selves. There was more, there had to be more if Scott was hinting that he and Stiles had met in high school. Honestly Derek's memories of his senior year were fuzzy because they were overshadowed by Kate's betrayal and the fire. But even without that, Stiles and he had to have been part of entirely different crowds. He had been a lacrosse player, captain of the team and they had been first years. Those to social groups did not mix, except for occasional teasing.

All of a sudden a scene came to the forefront of Derek's mind. True the two groups had not mixed but still they had interacted, mostly by the lacrosse players tormenting the first years. 'It built character,' was the general agreement and most of them didn't even take it hard, but there had been one scene where his wolf had felt the need to intervene …

~ * ~


	8. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It won't be easy, but it will be worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yesterday was my father's funeral and I am still waiting for the relieve to come. Luckily my colleagues at work gave me the chance to take the day off so I will elope a little for some alone-time. Hopefully my heart will catch up with my head and by my return on Sunday I will be back to self again. 
> 
> Thank you all so very much for your good wishes and encouragements. Though we don't know each other and share but one interest, it meant the world to me. So once again: thank you very much. 
> 
> And now, have fun with a Derek remembering who Stiles was when they first met. Oh, and smuuuuuuuuuut ;).

Stiles had barely been able to work up any appetite and though the pack had thrown him worried looks, nobody had dared to say anything. When Melissa returned from work, she kissed his forehead, and felt that though his body-temperature was slightly elevated, it was not dangerous. Therefore the pack had not joined him when Stiles had picked up a few DVDs, and retreated to the cinema in the cellar.

Instinctively, the wolves had sensed that their human Alpha wanted to be alone, Scott had not even needed to hold them back.

Stiles had put in 'Who framed Roger Rabbit', trying to conjure the pleasant memories of how he had watched this movie with Scott for the first time after their first big test in high school.

He was currently starting 'Space Jam', trying to recall how he and his best friend had imagined big sports careers where they would get all the girls and all the money for excelling in a game. The intro had not even finished when the door to the gym was opened. Stiles was determined to shoo away whoever was interrupting, wanting to enjoy his walk down memory lane alone. He froze when he saw Derek.

"You … you had been wearing a red hoodie, like the one you own now." Derek started in a whisper, barely loud enough for Stiles to hear. "And you were carrying a tray with curly fries and chocolate pudding. One of my team-mates tripped you and you fell right into that pudding, ending with a huge spot of chocolate on your chest. The curly fries scattered all over the floor, landing under all the tables surrounding you. The smell of chocolate never washed out of that particular piece of clothing."

Turning around, ignoring the movie he had just started, Stiles croaked out, "You helped me up, defended Scott and me against your own team. You said that nobody should ever touch me … touch us again. You repeated yourself, I always remembered that."

Daring to come closer, now that Stiles showed no inclination to throwing him out, Derek reached for the boy. "I might not have remembered before, but what I said still stands, the first time we met my wolf was determined that you were a good person, worth fighting for, even if it was against my own team."

Sinking to his knees before the boy, who still sat at the edge of the giant cushion so that they were face to face, Derek laced their fingers, assuring the teenager, "I might have not have recalled our first encounter before, but I do now, and I have not come across Danny on my way down here. This is really me, wanting you, wanting to be with you. Is that good enough?"

It was hard, so very hard for Derek to put his heart on the line again. To allow another person that much power that could crush, no, destroy him. But he had to try, because if he didn't, he would always ask himself what could have been.

Tenderly, Stiles caressed Derek's face, looking into the werewolf's eyes, until Derek could no longer maintain eye-contact, closing his eyes, leaning into the long, gentle fingers that touched him. He wanted this, had wanted this for so long. Someone who looked at him like that. Someone who touched him like that, like he was not a means to an end, but something precious, something worthy to be cherished.

Derek was not innocent by any means. He had entertained one-night-stands in New York. But it had never been real, just a way to blow off steam. He had never offered his heart, had never allowed himself to get invested, not after the consequences of his relationship with Kate. But with Stiles it was different, with Stiles he could allow himself to want, to need! So he clutched the boy's thighs desperately and when the teenager finally covered his lips with his own, demanding entrance after a mere moment, he allowed Stiles in to claim his mouth like it belonged to him.

Pulling himself closer, Derek realized that his mental comparison fitted. His mouth, his body, his everything belonged to Stiles if the boy only wanted him. He might be a screw up, but for Stiles he would do better, for his human Alpha he would try to move the sun, the moon and the stars to prove himself worthy of Stiles’ attention. He inhaled sharply when Stiles nipped at his earlobe, like he had done at the club only far more gently and playfully, when he reminded Derek, "No claws, gorgeous. I'm no wolf, I don't heal like you."

Embarrassed by his inability to control his shifting, a common occurrence around Stiles, Derek pulled back and put his hands behind his back, one hand grasping his opposite wrist in a conscious effort not to hurt Stiles. When the boy pulled back, Derek tried to chase him, but Stiles held him in place, scrutinising him, from his mussed up hair to his shivering body, to the hands that were firmly clutched behind Derek's back. The teenager's voice was but a seductive purr when he whispered, "Is this how you want to do it?"

"I want …," Derek choked out hoarsely until he realized that he really didn't know what he wanted. There were endless possibilities, but this was not about him, so he looked up at Stiles with utter devotion, deciding, "Whatever you want. However you want to do this, I'm up for it."

"Bold move, wolf boy," Stiles snickered, allowing his hands to roam over Derek's broad torso, touching every last inch of it, savouring the idea of his hands on Derek's naked skin and how much fun they would have later. "Are you really sure about that? I could entertain some pretty heavy kinks. Are you sure you want to give me free reign?"

"I …," Derek closed his eyes, remembering how much fun Kate had had in dominating him, in belittling him and not only in bed, revelling in the naiveté of a teenager who had not understood the game she had been playing. He recalled the pain she liked to inflict on occasion, with her nails and her bites, not teasing but governing, not pleasant but cruel. He thought about the countless kinks he had come across with his one night stands. One of them had enjoyed drawing blood, had been delighted to see how fast Derek could heal, going out of her way to cut up nearly every part of his body after that. The last one, where he had stopped going out at all afterwards, had poured hot wax over his naked body and for a few, brief seconds Derek had felt like being burned alive.

Still, this was Stiles, a human who had done everything in his power to keep Derek safe. So the werewolf nodded his head, repeating, "Whatever you want. I trust you."

Stiles' next kiss took his breath away. Had he thought that he had gotten to know passion with Kate, Stiles was like a hurricane to her rainstorm. The boy was claiming Derek's mouth, exploring every last inch of it. If felt like Stiles was dying of thirst and Derek was the last drop of water on the entire planet. Never before had the werewolf feel so desired.

When Stiles pulled him onto the cushions, Derek followed without thinking and he actually enjoyed the dangerous glitter in Stiles eyes, when the boy pulled out his ever-present blade, telling him, "I want to look at all of you, without any clothes between us."

Stiles started with Derek's shirt, cutting it open right in the middle, careful to avoid the werewolf's skin, no matter how fast he would heal from a small nick. When the shirt was off, Derek quickly shed his jeans because he actually liked them and didn't want them to fall victim to Stiles' blade. He had less luck with his underwear and sucked in a harsh breath, when he felt the cold metal caressing his hips while cutting the fabric.

He nearly shouted the house down, biting his bottom lip at the very last second, when Stiles started to lick a wet strip from the base of his cock right up to the tip. But the boy did not like that. Nipping at the head of Derek's erection, he commanded quietly, "Don't do that gorgeous, I want to hear you. I need to know if you like what I am doing to you. How will I know if I do everything right, if you don't let me hear you?"

"I … oh god!" Derek arched off the bed when Stiles repeated the movement, lingering a little longer at the head, suckling on it like it was the most delicious sweet. The teenager used that movement to his advantage, placing a pillow under the werewolf's hips, holding him up a little. Fingers ghosting over his backside made Derek clench his teeth, not only because he had never allowed anybody to take him like this, but because this soft brush alone made his wolf howl for more. He actually shouted when he felt the tip of Stiles' tongue teasing his rim.

"Stiles please, you can't … oh my god … you …." Stammering incoherently, he realized that Stiles took great pleasure in teasing him before sinking a spit-slick finger into Derek's body. The air was saturated with the boy's desire and it was the headiest smell Derek had ever experienced. He wanted more, he wanted all of it. He wanted to drown in the scent, but for now the best course of action of increasing Stiles' passion seemed to be just to allow the boy free reign over his body.

The finger was joined by a tongue and a few minutes later by another digit. He remembered Kate using toys on him, but it had always been unpleasant, something he had tolerated on her behalf but never for himself. But this … this was something else entirely. He wanted more, could not get nearly enough of it. Stiles was teasing him, stretching him. When Derek showed even a fraction of discomfort, the boy returned to his cock, teased his nipples, kissed him passionately, made Derek forget his own name, and after an eternity, the werewolf was twisting on the soft surface, unable to decide if he wanted more, less, deeper, shallower, faster or slower.

Stiles' heart-rate was shooting through the roof when the boy pulled back a bit, resting his forehead on Derek's hip, looking up with glassy eyes that were dominated by black pupils. His voice sounded absolutely wrecked when he stated, "I don’t have any condoms on me and I understand if you want me to get one. I know that you wolves can't get sick or transmit any diseases but still I will use protection if you prefer that. I will not claim you bare if you don't feel comfortable with it." Pulling back a little, he insisted, "Tell me what you want."

"Don't!" Derek was nearly whimpering, reaching for Stiles, desperate for the boy not to leave him. He wrapped his arms around his human Alpha, overwhelmed by the mere idea of this boy claiming him, filling him up and marking him with his seed. "Please, please Stiles, don't leave. I want this, all of you. Don't put up any barriers."

He had never fucked anybody without a condom. Kate had insisted on the inconspicuous way of contraception and afterwards, the mere idea of fucking someone without it had been sickening. Now the thought of Stiles protecting himself from the skin to skin contact with Derek was more than the werewolf could suffer.

Sensing Derek's sudden anxiety, Stiles pulled himself up and started to place a soothing hand on Derek's forehead. "Shhhh, Derek, calm down, it's alright. I want this, with you. And I will take you in any way you desire. But you have to talk to me. Is this what you need right now, me taking you without using protection?"

Looking into the boy's eyes who showed wisdom far beyond his age, Derek could only nod, whispering frantically, "Yes! Yes, that's what I want."

Kissing him most tenderly, Stiles positioned himself and slowly, excruciatingly slowly pushed into Derek.

The werewolf's breath hitched with every inch of Stiles that entered his body, Derek felt filled, cherished, completed in a way he had never known before. When Stiles was finally seated, he wrapped his legs around the teenager, determined to never let go.

Stiles gave him ample time to adjust before he felt Derek's legs around his body loosening their vice-grip and with a playful nip on the werewolf's shoulder, the human started to move. At first he was slow and tentative, watching Derek, judging his reaction to the motion. But when the werewolf groaned in pleasure, baring his neck further, Stiles stopped holding back.

The teenager became faster more powerful and the werewolf revelled in the strength of his Alpha. True, he could flip them over in a heartbeat, but that was not what he wanted, he wanted to be covered by Stiles' body, wrapped around the teenager, his scent, the feeling of his burning skin and the things Stiles whispered into his ear.

Sweet memories about how much he had thought about Derek, how he had attended his every game. How he had lain awake at night, touching himself while thinking of the wolf. All the filthy fantasies a teenager could come up with and how Derek exceeded his expectations in every last aspect.

It was so much, nearly too much for Derek to take, because it was so very different from all the other sex he had ever had. Stiles showered him with compliments where Kate had talked down at him. Stiles reacted to his every move, chasing those who brought Derek the most pleasure instead of simply concentrating on his own, like Derek's one-night-stands. And Stiles cherished his wolf and not because Derek could entertain a painful kink, but because he revelled in the strength and endurance of Derek's animal side.

How very well Stiles understood pack dynamics became apparent when Derek approached his peak, barring his neck for the teenager, clutching him, pulling him closer and closer still. He felt like howling, like his breath was stolen from him but what finally pushed him over the edge were Stiles teeth sinking into the junction between his neck and his shoulder, claiming him in a way he had never allowed before. The teenager's teeth were not breaking his skin but combined with Stiles' hot seed filling his body it was everything Derek could have ever dreamed of, of Stiles spilling long and continuously inside of him.

When they finally came down from the afterglow, Stiles did not even feel bothered that he would be glued to Derek if he did not move in the next few minutes. Instead he cherished the deep and calming breaths of the wolf who held him, like he was afraid Stiles would jump up and run off if he relaxed his hold for a second. Truth was, Stiles didn’t have the slightest intention of moving from this spot. This was everything he had ever dreamed of and more. And for the first time in forever he had gained something not because of his money or his family, but because it had been his all along.

A wolf recognized a potential partner, or so he had been told, and if Derek remembered him even from high school, he seemed to be suitable after all.

~ * ~

Around two in the morning, Stiles slid from Derek's chest and was woken by the uncomfortable feeling of having a part of his skin ripped off. The werewolf clutched him instinctively, but Stiles twisted out of his arms. The teenager could see fear flashing in Derek's eyes, before he leaned closer, kissing his lover gently. "Come on, let's take a shower and go to bed. It's Saturday and we can sleep in, but my bed will be much more comfortable than this."

Sneaking upstairs, Stiles simply pulled Derek into the shower with him, not wanting the slightest bit of awkwardness coming up between them. Yet, when he was shampooing Derek's hair, he felt the tension returning to his wolf. Quietly he asked, "What is it?"

"Nothing, I was just …," the werewolf started, and only at an encouraging gesture from Stiles, he managed to continue, "I was just wondering how often you are doing this with Danny?" He was not jealous, Derek told himself. It would do him no good to be jealous, because it would only drive Stiles away. But he couldn't help the gut-wrenching feeling at the mere idea of Stiles touching another like that.

It seemed like this had been a bad question because Stiles' playful attitude, he had spiked up Derek's hair after shampooing it, ceased instantly, and the teenager washed out the shampoo swiftly before turning Derek around so they were face to face. Even Stiles expression was earnest, managing to make the werewolf's stomach clench even further.

Slowly the teenager explained, "Derek, listen to me very carefully because you have to understand and I don't want there to be the slightest misunderstanding about this. I will not lie to you, not about this, never about something like this. I will not tell you that I have never entertained a lover because I have. The girl you have met at the cliffs, the daughter of the Desert Wolf, Malia was one of them. But I have not been with anybody since you came to us. And when it comes to Danny: I have never, ever fucked him."

"But he …," Derek stammered, remembering the blowjob that had introduced him to the incubus.

Proving the surprising ability to know what was on Derek's mind, Stiles shook his head, "I let him blow me and only if he is starving and Ethan is not around. I kiss him, like every other member of this family but that's the extent of the sexual interaction between us."

Shaking his head, Derek recalled the scene in the living room, the day he had messed up and entered Stiles' office without permission. "But the day he climbed your lap. You talked about taking him, you and Ethan fucking him from both sides. You …"

Snickering quietly, Stiles shook his head, "It's called 'dirty talk', gorgeous. I will introduce you to the concept eventually. Danny gets off on the idea, but he would never, ever allow me to fuck him, that privilege belongs to Ethan alone. And I would never allow him to take me. I would lose my hold over the demon if I showed myself even slightly submissive. I have never allowed anybody to stake a claim on me, though I am currently thinking about making an exception for you. But we are not that far into our relationship to think about that."

"Is that what we have?" Derek asked tentatively. "A relationship?"

Gently brushing a strand of wet hair out of Derek's face, Stiles kissed him gently before answering. "That will depend entirely on you. I don't want to make assumptions or give the impression that you don't have a choice. If you want sex with no strings attached, that's what we will do."

A little hurt, Derek asked, "And that would be enough for you?" Maybe he had read all of this wrong, maybe Stiles was not as invested into this as Derek had expected.

The werewolf relaxed a fraction, when the boy reached for his neck, pulling him closer so that their foreheads touched. Harshly he admitted, "No, that's not what I want. I want more, everything! I want to glare at every girl or boy who looks at you. I want to kiss you in public, not caring that this paints a huge target on your back. I want to have you by my side night and day. But this affects not only me, so it's not my decision alone. If this is a relationship you get a say in the matter and you have to be very sure about your decision because no matter what you decide, it won't be easy for either of us."

Aware that Stiles had thought this through far better than he had, Derek gently nudged the boy under the spray, returning the courtesy of washing his hair. When they lay in bed not long after that, Derek wrapped around Stiles from behind, burying his face in the teenager's neck, drinking in the smell of his Alpha, of his lover, he realized that no matter how much he tried to rationalize his thoughts, sex could never be enough.

"I want all of you, and when we see these coyotes again, I want to be the one to wrap my arms around you and not her, no matter the past you two have shared."

"It won't be easy." Stiles reminded him.

"I know," Derek whispered, a relationship meant exclusivity, not love. Still, it was a first step towards what Derek had always wanted. "But it will be worth it."

~ * ~


	9. Confusing Emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after. Stiles is not used to need convincing. (Just saying)  
> Oh, and Peter is an ass-hole ;).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my two dedicated betareaders 'Wecantgiggleatacrimescene' and 'memprime' this chapter is ready for you.
> 
> I once again wanted to say thank you to all of you who have sent me good thoughts and good wishes. I really appreciated that and it honestly helped me in this hard time. The funeral was simply beautiful. My mother chose all the right songs and wrote a beautiful speech. All in all the perfect closure for all of us. Now we are looking into the future.
> 
> Love to you all.  
> Anchanee

Derek had found peace wrapped around his new lover as long as the moon was high in the sky. When he woke with the rising sun he remained unmoving, listening to Stiles' even heartbeat, wondering where they would go from here. Stiles had agreed to a relationship, being exclusive – with the exception of Danny of course, Derek could never keep the two of them apart – but did that mean that the human wanted the pack to know?

Sneaking out of bed, Derek took a thorough shower and decided to put his restlessness to good use by making breakfast. It was Saturday, so everybody was sleeping late. But the smell of pancakes and bacon and eggs would surely summon them out of bed. Yet, Derek could take his time. Starting with cutting up fruits and preparing everything in advance before starting the cooking he tried to figure out how Stiles wanted him to react when they were around each other in public.

After about an hour he couldn't put off cooking any longer, everything was cut and stirred and he had even set the table. He still hadn't come to a decision of how to behave, but more time wouldn't change that. He was running circles in his own head anyway. The bacon was sizzling nicely when Scott and Isaac tumbled down, zoning in on the meat. Derek threatened them with the spatula, should they dare to nick some before the others were up. Withholding the meat, he steered them towards the coffee.

Allison was next, wearing pyjama bottoms and a far too tight shirt, gratefully accepting the coffee Isaac had just prepared, snuggling into his embrace, while watching Derek cook. The werewolf's heart ached at that sight. He wanted this, so very much. But he didn't even know if Stiles wanted to make their relationship public. There were many practical reasons for him to keep it secret, Derek's safety not the least of them. Ethan took the spatula out of his hands when the pancakes started to burn, stirring him towards one of the stools gesturing for Scott to serve him juice.

Derek watched the twin putting his pancake batter to good use while directing Danny to supervise the eggs and the bacon. Still not entirely awake, Danny grinned at Derek, "So did Stiles and you …," But before he could finish the sentence, he was hit in the ribs by Scott who was standing behind him, whispering as quietly as possible, "He doesn't smell like him."

Derek ignored the confused look Danny shot him, and he was grateful that the incubus didn't insist on pursuing that particular topic despite his curiosity. In silence they put the food on the table together and were briefly discussing who should fetch Stiles after Erica and Boyed had joined them. Nobody even looked at Derek, clearly they didn't plan to put that task on him.

The teenager in question solved their problem by bouncing down the stairs when Scott and Allison were raising their fists for a game of rock-paper-scissors. Derek's heart rate increased. Embarrassed because he was well aware, that there was no better way of displaying his distress in a room full of werewolves, he reached for a slice of orange. But when Stiles approached them, he squeezed the slice so hard that juice started to drip down his hand.

Stiles, tumbling slightly from the lack of caffeine, reached for Derek's hand and began licking of the juice seductively, grinning at the werewolf as he sat down. His easy smile fell when he took in his lover's face. Gazing from Derek to the others and then back to Derek, Stiles reached for the werewolf again, tenderly cupping his cheek. "Hey, you look really nervous, gorgeous. Want to tell me what's wrong? Did anybody say anything?"

Glaring at his friends briefly, who hastened to shake their heads, Stiles looked back at Derek. Shaking his head as well, the werewolf croaked, "I didn't know if you wanted them to know … I …"

Confused, Stiles suggested, "We are living in a house full of werewolves, surely they can already smell it."

When Derek lowered his head ashamed, Stiles looked around. Scott was the one who explained, "We couldn't smell you on him, because he washed off your scent."

"I wasn't sure if you wanted …," Derek repeated, ashamed of how he had screwed up already. Now Stiles thought he was embarrassed of their relationship when all the wolf wanted was to shout it down from the top of the roof. But how could he convince this human of his investment into their relationship, especially after this?

Stiles however, was not used to need 'convincing'. He was used to taking matters into his own hands and simply claiming what he wanted. So he buried his fingers in Derek's hair and pulled the young man's head up. For a brief moment, their eyes met, and when Stiles continued pulling, the werewolf presented his unprotected neck without hesitation.

"Not smelling like me. We can't have that, can we?" Stiles mumbled, before he leaned over and licked a strip of skin from the hollow of Derek's throat up to the side of his neck, where he sunk his teeth briefly into the sensitive skin, licking over the red spot he had caused before it had time to heal.

Derek groaned at that bland display of ownership. When Stiles let go of his hair, pulling back, looking at Derek, eyes alight with passion, the wolf whispered, "You don't want to keep me a secret?"

"Never, gorgeous."

"Oh god," This was more than Derek had expected and still not enough at the same time. With a low growl, he stood and pulled the teenager with him, lifting him up while kissing him possessively. Stiles seemed entirely on board with that, because he immediately wrapped his legs around Derek's hips, trusting the wolf to hold him aloft.

After a few moments, where the pack laughed and cheered and wolf whistled, Scott spoke up. "Ahm … guys? The bacon is getting cold."

Stiles needed all of his self-restraint to pull back from his gorgeous werewolf. He nipped on Derek's lower lip one last time, assuring him quietly. "I'm proud of you, I would never want to keep you a secret. Alright?"

Derek felt his throat closing up with emotion, so he didn't say anything, merely nodded. He put Stiles down again, reclaiming his place at the table. The place at the left side of the Alpha, the place of the partner.

Everybody reached for the food at the same time and it was still a surprise for Derek that nobody lost an arm or at least a finger during these events. They all ate in companionable silence, apart from occasional requests for salt, more bacon or coffee.

When they were all slumping back in their chairs, picking at the leftovers, Isaac groaned. When everybody looked at him, he asked, "Do we have to tell Lydia?"

Derek looked at Stiles with confusion when the teenager threw his head back and laughed out loud. "How many," Stiles started, unaware of his lover's confusion, "How many of you were stupid enough to bet against Lydia?"

Nearly everybody … no, everybody except Allison and of course Stiles and Derek raised their hands. Shaking his head, Stiles censured them, "You really should know better by now. Go on now, pay and make it a generous donation! I know she had set her heart on a new pair of heels."

At the end of a lot of shuffling, a hundred bucks lay on the table, despite only six people betting. Stiles gestured for Allison to take the money, and asked, "Alright, now spill."

Looking at their leader, Scott sighed and admitted, "She said that you would be together within two weeks into the new year."

"Smart girl," Stiles commented, smiling at Derek.

~ * ~

It had taken Lydia nearly a week and two more beatings to get this new clan under control. By now she regretted that Stiles had decided to take over their territory. It would have been easier if they had just killed them, despite her not being a huge fan of extensive blood-shed. She still didn't put it past them to cause further trouble. Planning to send Aiden and Peter here once a week, she made them pack and drive home. Stiles had kept her up to date on everything that had happened in Beacon Hills and Allison had sent her a short text during the weekend that a new pair of shoes was ready for her to pick up. All in all, Lydia was more than happy to get home again.

It was strange for Peter to feel excited about returning to Beacon Hills. Sure, Talia had sent him out on assignment in the past. He had fulfilled them and returned, but he had never felt particularly good or bad about it. The Hale-pack had just been his family, but he had never felt particularly bound to them after the fire. Now, returning to the Stilinski house was another matter entirely. Despite the belief of having chosen the lesser of two evils at the remote chance of … well not happiness but at least contentment, Peter was truly looking forward seeing the pups he had bitten.

He would never admit it, but while being with Lydia actually did help a great deal to fill up a part of the endless void the death of his fiancé had caused, the mere thought of being surrounded by Isaac and Boyd, by Erica and Scott made him feel nearly giddy. Well, of course not giddy, because that would be undignified but …

Catching Aiden's eyes in the rear-view mirror, Peter became aware that he was giving far too much of his emotions away. Crossing his arms over his chest, he started to look out of the window, forcing himself to really watch the landscape they were passing by, despite it being white and bleak barely three weeks into the New Year. He realized that Aiden and Lydia exchanged a glance, but neither said anything.

He expected Lydia to speak, but to his surprise it was Aiden who took his girlfriend's hand, kissed it adoringly and whispered, as if trying to talk only to her. "I miss them. I'm glad we are going home." Peter mirrored the deep and relieved sigh Lydia gave, admitting wordlessly that he felt the same.

~ * ~

When they let themselves into the house around seven in the evening, they found Derek standing in the kitchen, juggling several bottles. Not hearing anybody, Lydia and Aiden took three each, urging for Peter to take half of the rest while the girl asked, "What are we watching?"

Peter looked around in confusion. He couldn't hear the TV running, so he was surprised when Derek answered, "The Terminator! Stiles was shocked by the lack of Liam's cinematic education so he took it upon him … and us … to remedy that."

Grinning, Lydia opened one of the beers and took a sip. "Good old American action movies. I take it we have hamburgers and curly fries?"

"I think Allison ordered cesar salad for you."

Peter followed the three pack-members down the stairs, wondering what was different about his nephew. Derek seemed relaxed, nearly content and he had even taken the liberty of rolling his eyes when sharing Stiles' choice of movies. Before they had gone to Pittsburg, he would have never dared to criticise his Alpha, not even in his thoughts. Something had clearly changed.

Still, it took Peter a while to figure it out. He was distracted by the shouts of joy the three of them were greeted with, when entering a home-cinema he had not known existed. Not even the sarcastic wolf was able to keep his happiness contained when he smelled the pleasure of the wolves at seeing him again. He wanted to tell himself that it was only Lydia and Aiden they were happy to have back. But when Isaac and Boyd shifted to make room for him, he couldn't lie to himself any longer just to keep his distance. He was with pack again and it felt damn good.

There were more hamburgers and curly fries than anyone could eat, and still everybody guarded their own portion of fries jealously. Derek had even claimed a place on the floor, eating his third hamburger in a row, nibbling at the fries, moaning nearly obscenely at the taste. They all laughed when a crushed up piece of wrapping paper hit the wolf on the head while Stiles was glowering at him from the top level. Peter was surprised to see that Derek didn't even back down at that, just grinned at the human Alpha who sat next to Scott who lay angled around Liam and Danny. The boy watched the movie with rapt attention, taking absent-minded bites out of his own burger.

Unable to let such a good chance to yank his nephew's chain pass, Peter snickered quietly, "So it seems that your courtship with Stiles stepped up a notch. Do you need any further advice of how to continue?"

Having had the most wonderful week, finally feeling happy and content with his human Alpha, Derek didn't want to bicker, so he stated drily. "I can assure you, I don't need to step it up, nor do I need any form of advice from you, Peter."

"Really," the older werewolf asked, looking up at Stiles who was licking salt from his fingers. Such a simple task should not look so seductive, especially not when the person in question had ketchup smeared at his upper lip and was watching an explosion on the mirroring wall with rapt fascination. "Maybe I should give it a shot. He appears to be rather skilled with his tongue."

The mere idea of Peter touching Stiles made Derek see white. He believed in his partner's faithfulness, he really did, but his uncle had always had a mischievous streak and Derek would put it past him to try to seduce Stiles just to prove a point. Before he could even make a conscious decision, Derek had reached for his uncle's throat pulling him closer, growling at him, "You will _not_ touch him!"

Everybody seemed to freeze at that open display of aggression and within a moment the movie was put on pause. Judging the situation, Stiles ordered, "Peter, Derek, into the gym. NOW!" The human nodded at Scott who was soothingly rubbing Liam's arms, because the boy had started to shiver at the Alpha's angry outburst.

Liam might have only been a part of their pack for a week, but he still had been able to watch Stiles' command his wolves, and he didn't want the Alpha turn his gaze on him in displeasure like he was now glaring at the other two wolves.

When the three of them entered the gym, Stiles looked at them with a serious expression. No matter how much Peter wanted to brush this glare off as coming from a weak human, he still felt the effect and he had to keep himself under his iron-clad control so that he would not start fidgeting. Something his nephew apparently seemed to be unable to, because no matter how subtle, Derek started to shift nervously from one foot to the other, unable to meet his Alpha's gaze.

"Gentleman," Stiles started in a business-like voice. "Care to explain what has just happened?"

When Derek didn't say anything, Peter forced himself to shrug nonchalantly, "We were just discussing Derek's social interactions, nothing to be worried about."

"Really, the two of you growling at each other like chain-dogs during one of our movie-nights is nothing out of the ordinary?" Stiles shook his head. "Peter you have a very irritating concept of what's normal in a family."

Feeling his hackles rise, Peter folded his arms, trying to make himself appear taller, "I have lived with my family all my life. I am well aware how a pack of wolves interact."

"Not this pack," Stiles admonished him softly, effectively tampering down the aggressive tendencies Peter was just working up.

Looking at Derek, the Alpha tried again, "Derek, do you want to tell me the truth about what had just happened? What had made you lose control?"

"I," Derek swallowed, licked his lips nervously because now that he thought about it, nothing had happened. His uncle had taunted him and that was nothing new. That he had reacted so strongly was … well, actually it was unforgivable. Had something similar happened in public, he would have been in serious trouble. Hanging his head even further, Derek whispered, "He hinted that he wanted to seduce you. I didn't like the idea."

Not leaving the younger werewolf out of his eyes, Stiles ordered, "Peter, leave."

Too smart not to take an out when he was given one, Peter was out of the room in a heartbeat, leaving Stiles and Derek alone. The teenager lost his tense posture and sighed, shaking his head tiredly, "Derek, you are an idiot!"

Ashamed the wolf admitted, "I know."

~ * ~

When they returned, just in time for the great finale, Stiles looked positively debauched and Derek was glowing. Though their clothes were in perfect order, they smelled like each other so strongly, that nobody had a doubt what they had done for the last twenty minutes.

Stiles reclaimed his place on the topmost mattresses with Derek crawling after him like a giant puppy. The impression was enforced further by the werewolf rolling up beside the human boy, resting his head in Stiles' lap to continue watching the sequel of aforementioned movie.

After a while, Stiles spoke quietly, "Peter?"

Looking around, the werewolf wondered if he was not getting out of this as easily as he had hoped. "Yes?"

"Don't do that again." The boy looked down at him, pointedly caressing Derek's hair while occasionally scratching his neck.

Smiling at the picture of utter joy his nephew presented, Peter allowed himself a tiny smile and lowered his head in agreement. "I won't, especially not since apparently my nephew has got it covered."

Looking down at his lover with kind eyes, Stiles whispered, "So he does." Before returning his attention to the big screen.

~ * ~


	10. Demon and Master

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now we look into Danny's perception of Stiles and Derek's new relationship status.   
> You know, the one where the 'new wolf' all of a sudden spends a lot more time with the incubus' master.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, despite having been a very poor author, not replying to sent e-mails in detail and sharing my thoughts, my trusted betareaders 'Memprime' and 'Wecantgiggleatacrimescene' (shorter name please!) have not abandoned me and keep helping me with this story.  
> Thank you very much for that and I hope you will enjoy me picking up this story again, as much as I will ;).

The beginning of the year was in full swing and despite understanding the advantages of the new book-keeping system, Danny could not really appreciate it, since it meant twelve to sixteen hour work days. The hacker barely slept to make sure everything was up and running as fast as possible before the workload picked up again. There was a lot of frustrating and tedious coding. There were nights when Danny simply wanted to throw it all overboard and upload their old software.

When Derek and Mr. Bale had explained the necessary changes to him, Danny had thought them logical and easy. But after working with their software for two days, he had discovered that he had to rewrite a whole chunk of their program to integrate these changes into their systems. An upgraded book-keeping-system alone did nothing if it could not facture in the bills and the demand notes.

So, for the first few weeks of the year, Danny and Derek spent a lot of time together, so that the teenager could understand what changes were needed to get this system to work. During this time he learned about a whole new side of the born werewolf. Contrary to popular belief, especially to Derek's own conviction, Derek was smart, like super-smart, clever with book-keeping like Lydia was with everything that could be calculated. But to see this strength in Derek you had to see him work books, juggle accounts and shift payments to optimize either business volume or profit.

Though Derek had troubles at the beginning in communicating his vision, once he and Danny were on the same page, it was like they were speaking a different language together. For days on end they talked about their new program, setting up camp in the conference room of the executive suite. Meredith or Isaac were supplying them with food and drinks, but otherwise rolled their eyes and avoided them at all cost, unable to understand a word these two exchanged.

At the beginning of February, Stiles needed Danny on negotiations with a particularly difficult client. Of course the teenager had relented, although they had agreed when taking over the company, that bringing in the incubus for client-business was cheating. After talking to these people for more than a week without finding a consensus, Stiles had practically begged Danny on his knees to take over. It would be an understatement to say that Danny was freaking out over this. He did not even notice the small treats of sweets, coffee and sandwiches that appeared on his desk at all times. He mindlessly consumed them, just to keep his strength up to deal with these resisting new clients during the day and the coding in the evening.

On Friday they had made a habit of sharing lunch in the conference room, using the time to talk about the negotiations and how the program was coming around. And though the coding was nearly finished, the negotiations had not been nearly as successful. Though both the new client and the Red Hood Trading Company had agreed upon doing business, they were unable to hammer out the details to everybody's satisfaction. So Danny was cranky and tired and overall frustrated and when Stiles kissed Derek lovingly, before returning to his office, the incubus snapped, "I know that the two of you are happy but could you like _not_ flaunt your new relationship in front of me? That would be much appreciated!"

While Derek flinched back, as Danny had never spoken like that before in front of him, Stiles just nudged him to leave the room, before he turned towards his friend. Looking at the pack's hacker with raised eyebrows, Danny managed to withstand that stare for a mere minute before deflating. His voice was tiny and full of regret when he whispered, "I'm sorry."

For a tense moment, Stiles didn't say anything. But then he opened his arms for Danny who sank into them, burying his face in Stiles' shoulder, clinging on to the other boy for dear life.

"Mr. Stilinski, your two o'clock is waiting downstairs." Meredith piped up at the door, but Stiles only waved her out. "Tell them I'll be down in a moment."

"Danny," Stiles said quietly, cupping his friend's face gently, "Tell me you can't do it. This client is prestigious, it would increase our reputation, but we don't need their money. Sure it would be great to make the deal, but you know that we are not in any kind of trouble. We are not as dependant on them as they seem to think. Tell me you can't do it and I will kick them out so fast their heads will be spinning. They are not worth for you to work yourself to death over this."

Danny closed his eyes, savouring the undivided attention he received from his master. Though Ethan and others kept the incubus satisfied and well fed, Stiles had not had as much time for him ever since starting his relationship with Derek. And though the demon was happy when his master was happy there always was this small pang of longing when Stiles was touching someone else.

Still, despite the offer, he shook his head, looking into Stiles' concerned eyes, forcing himself to smile, "I can do this. Don't worry."

After watching his friend for a heartbeat, Stiles kissed his forehead and agreed, "Alright. But tell me if you change your mind. Okay?"

"I promise," Danny whispered, forcing himself to take a deep breath when Stiles rushed out of the room to see the representatives of a delivery company they had taken into contract only weeks before. There were still minor blips to erase in their working relationship before everything would run smoothly.

~ * ~

So focused on getting his papers into order, Danny only noticed Derek's return when the werewolf spoke up, "Why did you lie to him?"

"I don't know what you mean." The teenager brushed off the question.

Shutting the door behind himself, effectively sealing them in, Derek folded his arms before his chest. "Don't colour me stupid, Danny. I'm a werewolf, in case you have forgotten, I can hear when someone is saying something he does not really believe in."

"What is it to you?" Danny snapped at the person who occupied his master almost exclusively. "This is my problem and none of your concern!"

Shaking his head in confusion, Derek approached the teenager, "Since when is a problem of one family member of no concern to the others? This is not how this family works, or so you all have led me to believe. You know that you can't wrap up these negotiations, why have you told Stiles differently?"

Letting the black bleed into his eyes, Danny snapped back, "I have by far not utilized all of my abilities, wolf. Don't test me!"

Scrutinizing Danny for a heartbeat, Derek stepped closer, hissing under his breath, "So this is your solution, you want to convince them with your demonic abilities? Don't you think they will notice sooner or later? That's not cheating, that's fraud and you know it!"

Too frustrated for logic discussions, Danny shoved Derek away when the wolf entered his personal space. "So what? It's not as if you have to proof anything to him! You won him, fair and square, so stop sticking your nose into other people's business!"

"This is my business as well when you mess with the clients of this company," Derek shot back, not allowing Danny to derail him, physically pushing back. Something was bothering the teenager. It was important and so stressful that Danny was actually getting aggressive over it, a highly unusual character trait for him. "You being the incubus of this company's owner does not give you free reign over his entire business! Your master will not appreciate that and you know it."

"What do you care?" Danny was shouting by now because honestly he was at the end of his tether and hearing all the reasons why enforcing his natural abilities with his demonic ones was a bad idea did not help. "It's not as if he will be my master for much longer!"

"What?"

Pointing at Derek accusingly, Danny yelled, "He's got you now! You make him happy, so he has no other use for a demon, other than me making good of my ability, and convince his clients to accept his terms! We have two new wolves in our pack. Lydia secured a new town with the help of Aiden and Peter alone. You are a strong fighter. Why should Master need us any longer?"

The longer he had shouted, the more the demon had pushed to the surface, and whenever he had shoved Derek, the werewolf had held his ground until they were so close to fighting that the werewolf thought it but a moment before the first hit would be thrown. Danny's eyes were completely black now, a void of desperation and fear. His nails were lengthening and his skin was blooming black until no white parts remained. Still, Derek stood there, allowing Danny to vent his frustration, offering a 'safe' opponent who would neither scar nor scare easily.

The werewolf was bracing himself when Danny let out a sob, hitting Derek's chest weakly before breaking down. Instantly the werewolf wrapped his arms around the incubus. He felt Danny's tears drenching his shirt. He had been aware that Danny had smelled 'off' for the last few days, but since the incubus was constantly emanating a low amount of pheromones, Derek had not been able to identify the smell. Now the sadness, anxiety and desperation hit him full force, since their source was so close.

He held the incubus soothingly. Being much stronger than the demon, the teenager seemed to relish the embrace. Weakly, he sobbed, repeating the question that apparently had tormented him for days, "Why would he need me, now that he has you?"

After hugging and cuddling Danny for a little while, Derek chastised him gently, "That's such a stupid question, Danny and would be far beneath you, were you in your right mind and not overworked, tired and I think seriously under-fucked. Honestly, when was the last time Ethan and you took your time instead of just having a quickie in the shower?"

"I," the teenager hiccupped before frowning, "I don't remember. The company is more important at the moment."

Shaking his head, Derek assured him, "Nothing is more important than the safety of this family. And if Stiles were not stressed out as well, he would surely noticed that you have overtaxed yourself for the last two weeks. Honestly, had I not brought you food and drinks, you would have forgotten about sustenance either."

"You brought these? I thought Meredith …," Confused, Danny looked up from Derek's chest, embarrassed by his loss of composure. "Why?"

Shaking his head, Derek leaned over to kiss Danny heartbreakingly gentle on his mouth, "Because, no matter what you or your incubus think, I'm not a competitor to Stiles' affection. You are important to him, bound and dependant on your human master. I would never try to push you away.  On the contrary, everybody who is important to Stiles is important to me as well because Stiles would be miserable if he knew what you are thinking, if he  even had just an inkling of how unhappy you are."

Swallowing around his constricting throat, Danny whispered, "How can you be like this? I know that wolves are possessive. How can you even tolerate me in his vicinity?" Still, despite his reluctant words, Danny started to gravitate closer to Derek again, chasing the tender affections and the kiss the young man had offered.

"Because you are no competition for me either." Derek smiled, "Stiles told me that despite him being your master, you two never fucked. With everything else I can deal. Just like Ethan I assume, since you have sex with other people when he is not around or simply for the fun of it."

"But I'm blowing Stiles when he allows it. I bring him pleasure." Danny insisted, looking up at the wolf, offering hesitantly, as if not sure if he was overstepping his bounds, "I would do the same to you if you would allow me."

He lovingly caressed the frightened teenager's face, aware that the boy still was reluctant to believe that Derek could share Stiles so very easily.  Lips hovering over Danny's, breath bitter-sweet from the umpteenth cup of coffee of the day he asked, "Is that really what you want, Danny?"

"No," Danny groaned, reaching for Derek's head, smashing their lips together, claiming Derek's mouth but submitting easily when the werewolf held his ground. This was good, so much better than he could have ever hoped for. Sure Derek had kissed him before, or rather let Danny kiss him whenever the incubus was hungry. But this time it was different, this time there were feelings. Derek was not only satisfying physical needs but honestly cared for Danny's wellbeing, his emotional state instead of just his physical one.

When they pulled apart a few minutes later, Danny was still clutching the werewolf who held him. It took the incubus a few moments to calm down again, too drunk on the sweet joy of Derek's affection. Taking a deep breath, Danny made a decision. He pulled back from Derek, telling the wolf, "I will not use my powers to convince this client. They want to take advantage and I won't let them. Either they relent or I will send them to hell."

"Figuratively speaking, I hope," Derek joked, helping to put away lunch, so that Danny could collect his notes more easily.

Smiling mischievously, nearly back to his old self, after his existential crisis solved, Danny looked up with his beautiful, warm brown eyes, allowing the black to bleed back into them momentarily, "We will see …," winking one last time before leaving the room.

~ * ~

It seemed that the new client simply had tried to push as much as possible to see where it would land him. Once he encountered resistance, he was willing to relent. So when the evening came around, Danny packed up his things, having made a substantial leap in the negotiations, joining the rest of the pack on their way home. When pulling up into the garage, they found huge parcels leaning against the wall. But since Stiles didn't seem to be bothered by them, they passed them by in favour of dinner.

Upon entering the living room, Derek noticed Ethan's head whipping around from the game he was playing with Scott, looking at his partner. He could barely hold in a growl when Scott whooped at levelling Ethan's avatar on screen. Scott turned around as well to see what had his gaming partner so distracted. Scott and Stiles shared a wink, when Ethan slowly rose from the floor, approaching his boyfriend. Derek asked provocatively, "You have a big, bad wolf coming for you. What are you going to do about it, Danny?"

"Not taking a shower." Danny stated grinning, before whirling around, dashing up the stairs, laughing when Ethan gave chase. The door to their bedroom slammed close and Stiles sighed. "It seems that we won't have to wait on their input on dinner. Let's see what we've got."

Since nobody felt like take-out, Scott, Aiden, Peter and Stiles started to clean and wrap up potatoes while Derek pulled steaks out of the freezer. Allison and Isaac had taken the opportunity to sneak off for some alone time. Derek seasoned the meat and put them on a nice plate on top of the stove so that they could defrost. When the potatoes were in the oven, Stiles lingered in the kitchen. The others hovered, realizing that something was bothering their human Alpha.

Stiles voice was uncharacteristically quiet, when he requested, "Derek could you please strip my bed and disassemble it? It has to be relocated. Aiden, Peter you will clean out my room and box everything. Vacuum before setting up the parts of the bed that's in the garage. Liam, help them please when you are done with your homework. Scott could you … would you come with me please?"

Unsure about what was going on, everybody saw to their given tasks when Stiles and Scott vanished into the bedroom of Stiles' parents.

"You don't want to sleep in their bed," Scott pondered, while watching the huge bed John and Claudia had used. It was beautiful. Made of a dark wood with an intricate pattern at the top.

"I can't," Stiles whispered brokenly, looking around in a room he had kept as a sanctum for his parents. "It would feel like a sacrilege. I slept in there when dad was away on business and later when my nightmares got so bad that I could barely close my eyes while alone. This is … all of this is theirs. I want to keep it, but I can't use it."

"Can you let Ally and Isaac help? At least with the clothes? You know that they would be careful." Scott asked, testing the waters of bringing someone else into this. The room was generous but not overly so. Still, with eight hands instead of four, they would be finished in about an hour. That would leave Stiles time to put up his own bed after dinner before they would retire for the night.

Thinking this through for a few moments Stiles nodded and Scott went to fetch his partners, interrupting their play, relieved that Stiles trusted them with such precious memories.

~ * ~

And so it came that even before dinner two rooms were stripped bare and the four of them had even managed to re-assemble Stiles' bed. The light wood looked a little out of place in the middle of the dark furniture, but Allison assured him that with a little paint it would fit right in.

Having pulled his shoulder, Peter was snappy when they finally all sat around the dinner table nearly two hours later, sharing baked potatoes with sour-cream dip, steak and a fresh salad. "So, does anybody want to tell me why we have had to wrestle with this stupid, new bed after such a long day? Honestly, couldn't redecorating your room wait until the weekend?"

Used to Peter's attitude, but placated by the unwavering loyalty he had shown Lydia, Stiles smiled, infuriating the wolf further. Taking a measured bite of steak, enjoying the cooking abilities of his partner who had seared them to perfection, crispy on the outside but medium on the inside, Stiles took his time to answer. When he looked up at Peter he was grinning. "It will. But I thought that you might be sick of curling up on a blanket like an animal. Since the bed Lyds had ordered three weeks ago came today, I thought that you would prefer to have your own room as soon as possible."

Clearly not having expected that, Peter did not even realize that the piece of baked potato he had just loaded onto his fork was tumbling down, when he looked at Stiles, flabbergasted. "My own room?"

Shrugging easily, barely letting on how very much he enjoyed the werewolf's reaction, Stiles stated, "sure, you are a member of this family and therefore are supposed to have your own room. The contractor for the room Scott and I plan on having over the garage will come on Monday. So Liam will have to wait a little longer."

The young teenager was even worse than Peter at keeping his composure, he actually lost the grip on his fork, having it clatter onto his plate noisily. He looked first at Stiles and then at Scott and Danny with huge eyes. "My own room?" he asked, barely able to believe his own ears.

Sharing a smile, Danny and Scott nodded. "Your own room," Scott assured.

"You are a teenager, it won't do for you to share with older men all the time." Danny teased, looking much better, calmer and more settled now that he had had two hours of undisturbed alone time with his wolf. Ethan too appeared blissed out and satisfied, sharing the joy of the latest addition to the pack.

"I want a huge window facing west!" Liam piped up, before slapping his hands over his mouth as if he wanted to take back his words.

"We will take that into consideration." Stiles assured him before asking, "But why do they have to be 'huge'? Normal windows won't do?"

"I …," Embarrassed, Liam looked at his plate, not daring to raise his eye. Only when Danny brushed his fingers over the back of Liam's hand did the young wolf dared to speak again. Still his words were quiet, barely audible, when he whispered. "In Pittsburg, Marie was always afraid. Afraid of the other gangs, of our own gang. She nailed all the windows shut, leaving only small slits that would let in sunlight. She would pick me up after school, confine me to our apartment. I just … I just don't want to live in the dark any longer."

"Oh, pup," Scott choked, turning in his chair so that he could hug Liam, looking at Danny who did the same from the other side. "We will make sure that you will get the sunniest room in this entire house. I promise."

"Yes," Stiles assured him as well, "With us, no one has to live in the dark."

~ * ~


	11. Comfortable Habitats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not everybody is delighted by the new sleeping arrangements.

When Stiles returned to his parents' room that evening, Derek didn't dare to follow. Nobody had had to tell the werewolf that that room was off limits. The behaviour of the other pack-members had led to this conclusion. So now he lay in his bed, in the former wardrobe Stiles had had the pack furnish for him and stared at the ceiling. He could hear Peter next door, rolling around in his new bed, scenting the sheets and the mattress to make it his own but while his uncle slowly relaxed, Derek was further from sleeping than ever.

After half an hour, Peter appeared in the doorway. "Would you please just move your ass and go to him? You are reeking of anxiety and it spoils my first night in my new room."

"I don't think that I'm supposed to …"

"What? Share his bed?" Shaking his head Peter sneered, "Honestly nephew, I would have thought you smarter. You shared his bed for the last week, why should tonight be any different?"

Sitting up, Derek snarled angrily, "That said bed now stands in his parents' room. This is private. People he loved very much lived there and he is still grieving!"

Closing his eyes for a moment, Peter exhaled quietly before whispering, "You can grieve and still want the people you love around." Shaking his head, the older werewolf let his eyes flash to make up for the uncharacteristic sentiment. "Now go! I'm tired and want to sleep."

It would be a lie to say that Derek had not thought about this. Really, Peter was only providing a much needed push to get him moving. He clutched his cushion tight and left the room. Hesitantly, he approached Stiles' new bedroom, knocking at the door before entering. Peter followed him with his eyes and while Derek ignored the doors he passed, Peter noticed each and every one of them to be slightly ajar.

So Stiles sleeping in this room was the big deal Derek was making of it. Adapting the behaviour of the rest of the pack, though retreating to his own bed, Peter left the door open, listening attentively to what was happening in Stiles' bedroom.

~ * ~

"I'll be coming to bed in a minute, just lay down." Stiles mumbled absent-mindedly when Derek entered.

The teenager sat on the window bench, the only free space on a wall that was covered entirely by shelves. Many books had been removed, replaced with Stiles' own, but a few compartments looked as if they had been decorated a long time ago. There was even a small dust layer covering the rich, dark wood. Stiles was only in his shirt and shorts, looking at the sky, knees pulled up to his chest, his arms wrapped around them.

Slowly Derek approached his Alpha, daring to caress his cheek, a gesture Stiles leaned into reflexively before looking up. "Just a few more minutes, I just need a little time to adjust to being here."

"Stiles it's already close to midnight." Derek whispered, contemplating that the boy had lost track of time since he had been in here for nearly two hours, and still was not ready for bed.

Proving Derek's deduction correct, Stiles looked at the clock that hung on the wall facing the window. "Oh."

~ * ~

Derek was not the only one having trouble finding any sleep. Though Ethan and Danny had taken their time this evening, before dinner and soon thereafter, the demon in Danny's chest still felt restless. Saturated, but not content with his master's absence. Ethan proved his uncanny ability to read his partner, telling him straight to the face, "You don't want to sleep here. You are not comfortable by my side."

"No!" Danny looked up from his place on his wolf's chest. "I am, really, Ethan I …," The teenager was silenced by his partner's fingers that trapped his words.

"It's stupid to lie to a werewolf, you know that, love." Tenderly brushing away a wayward strand of hair, Ethan inquired, "What happened today?"

"I …," Danny thought about the afternoon before expressing his concerns. "Derek told me that he had never intended to squeeze me out of Stiles' affections."

"Of course not!" Ethan exhaled scandalized. "Why on earth should he want that?"

Rolling his eyes, explaining slowly, "Because I am a sex demon. I am evoking passion and desire in my victims and even in my master. What wolf on earth would accept such a person in his partner's vicinity?"

Caressing his partner's head, finally realizing where this was going, Ethan suggested, "You were afraid that Derek was jealous and would push you away and that Stiles would let him because he had him now. You were afraid that Stiles wouldn't want you any longer now that he has someone that satisfies his needs."

Ashamed Danny hid his face, nodding wordlessly.

"Danny, please look at me and tell me why Stiles claimed the position of your master after that incubus turned you unexpectedly?"

Reluctantly raising his head again, Danny explained, "Because a demon gives him an edge? My skill-set is unique and I don't share the wolves' vulnerabilities."

Slightly hurt on his human Alpha's behalf, Ethan shook his head. "Is this really what you think? You get turned by a rogue incubus during a threesome we got seduced to. And you think your friend helped, when your world tilted off its axis threatening to break apart, because he saw an advantage?"

Blanching Danny realized how very wrong the assumption he had based all of his fears upon had been. He wanted make this right, but before he could find the right words, Ethan had pushed him up and out of bed. "Up you go. We are sleeping with Stiles and Derek tonight."

"Do you think …?"

Shaking his head with a sad smile, because Danny knew Stiles so much longer, so how could he get their Alpha, his intentions and his practices, so very wrong? "When has Stiles ever turned any one of us away?"

~ * ~

Stiles was currently gathering his courage to go to bed when there was a soft knock on the door. At his request, Danny and Ethan peeked in and with a tired but somewhat relieved smile.  Stiles squeezed Derek's hand, before sliding off the window bench. Danny looked as if he needed him, but tonight, Stiles wasn't sure if he didn't need his pack more than the other way around. Because no matter his reluctance, if they desired to sleep with him, he would never make them wait.

When they finally lay in bed, Derek and Danny in his arms while Ethan laying plastered behind Derek, having mumbled something to the werewolf before that had made Derek smile brilliantly, the human finally exhaled and managed to close his eyes. No matter the ghosts of the past, with his pack around, he was sure that he would find sleep.

When he was already dozing off, Danny's whispered words pulled Stiles back from the threshold of sleep. "You bound with me because you wanted to help me. Right?"

Looking into his friend's eyes, Stiles whispered, "I bound with you, because you didn't deserve to have your life ruined over being turned into an incubus unwillingly. You were unhinged and needed someone to stabilize you. You surely would have gone to jail or worse, because you were not able to hold yourself back when you were hungry. Ethan's lenience is a blessing, but in the end it had always been you who needed to keep yourself under control. I just provided the means for it."

"You will never leave me as long as I need you. Right?" Danny's words were nearly inaudible; Stiles could only understand them because they were so close.

Nudging up the incubus' chin, Stiles studied Danny's face as if looking for something. The young demon had the overwhelming urge to look away, to hide his distrust and insecurities because his master definitely did not deserve them. When Stiles gazed at Derek for a moment, the werewolf laced his fingers with Danny and pulled them to his lips the same moment Stiles leaned down to capture Danny's lips.

The teenager's words were quiet but no less determined, when he assured his friend softly, "I will be there for you always, Danny. And before you freak out next time or work yourself to death on a project you know you can't finish, come to me. Derek is someone new in our lives, but he is determined to support you, not someone who takes me away. Understand?"

"Yes, Master." Danny whispered, gratefully chasing Stiles' lips for another kiss before leaning over Stiles' body to steal one from Derek as well before curling up at Stiles' side.

After Stiles had shared one last kiss with Derek, he pulled his partner close before his eyes fell on Ethan. The other wolf smiled at him most tenderly, communicating a wordless, "Thank you."

And for a moment Stiles let go of Derek to interlace their fingers, promising quietly, "Always" before pulling his pack closer, finally drifting off to sleep.

~ * ~

The contractors for the new room over the garage worked as quickly and quietly as possible, at least when there was someone was in the house. Renata, the maiden, had agreed to supervise them during the week, grateful for the extra cash, and motivated them so that in less than a month Liam's room was furnished and ready for use.

Stiles had decided that the roof of the room would be transformed into a terrace where the girls could lounge in the sun, while the wolves were 'playing' in the backyard. There were nice decorations along the edges and flower-pots at every corner. It was really a beautiful addition to the house. But nothing compared to Liam's room.

Everybody had kept the boy away from the construction zone. Danny had talked to him about what he wanted, trying to plan the room accordingly. It had become very clear, very fast, that Liam had spent his entire life in the tiny apartment with his sister or at the warehouse where his sister's boyfriend had held court. He had never dared to even think about a potential room for himself, since they had barely had enough money to buy food. A clean bed and a solid roof over their heads had been all he cared about.

So it was kind of a big show when his room was finally revealed. The pack had even organized transport of all of his things from Pittsburg to Beacon Hills. With one of Isaac's scarfs wrapped around his eyes, he was directed into the middle of the open space. His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply, smelling fresh, oiled wood, the furniture and the floor. Remnants of the cleaning products and books and clothes he remembered from home. He turned several times, trying to find his bearings while the pack surrounded him, chuckling at his enjoyment of their little game.

Finally, when the boy let out a choked sob, they parted in front of him, allowing him to make his way towards the small walk-in-closet. When he pushed the mirror-door aside, tears where already trailing down his cheeks. He pulled out the human who had hidden there, wrapping his arms around her in a bone-crushing hug, burying his face in her neck. "Marie …," Liam whispered, holding his sister as close as possible, not caring that he was still blindfolded.

The teenager had gotten a pretty good grip on his wolf and had even attended the local High School for the last few weeks. So, to prove how very proud they were of him, Scott had requested that Marie to deliver her reports personally this month and not have Aiden and Peter drive upstate. The overwhelming happiness that radiated from both the boy and his sister was proof that he had made the right decision. The pack pulled back to give the tiny family time to catch up.

Danny and Scott had discussed the layout and while there was a queen-sized bed in one corner, a desk at the other and the eastern wall covered by shelves that surrounded a generous window-seat like in Stiles' bedroom, they had left most of the hundred-and-thirty square foot free. The western wall was entirely made of bullet-proof glass and at the far side from the door there even was a door onto a tiny terrace, because – as Scott had argued – Liam was a teenager and he was bound to make a dash sooner or later. Best to give him a chance to do it with an entrance-slash-exit so they could prep for it, rather than him jumping out of a window, messing with their security system. So while everything was included into the surveillance of the house, Liam's door had a special code that didn't need extra engaging. As soon as it was closed the system was started and there was a camera overseeing his terrace and the southern part of the property.

Since it was the day after the full moon, and Liam had done so well last night, showing his claws and fangs but getting it under control pretty quickly, the pack decided to let him join their night out. Marie was not invited but promised to stay with Melissa, asking for Aiden and/or Peter to join her when returning to Pittsburg. Apparently her associates had a very slow learning curve, and though the wolves could smell her anxiety, she still didn't back down when Peter offered his support freely, flashing his eyes and his fangs. A woman who faced off a werewolf had to be respected. One who asked for help when she needed it was smart enough to be trusted. Lydia agreed with Stiles when they discussed whom to send with her as support. In the end it was decided that Peter and Aiden would return with her since most goons in Pittsburg were already afraid of them.

~ * ~

Danny took his time, prepping Liam for their evening out. The boy had received new clothes during the last month, because for one he had come to the Stilinski-McCall-pack empty handed, and second because the pack had higher demands on clothes than 'cheap and generally fitting'. Scott growled low in his throat, making the younger teenager flinch back, when he entered the living-room with fitting black jeans and a tight dark-grey button-down, eyes lined with dark kohl and lips tinted red. They all had to admit that Liam looked positively edible, at least when looking at him from the point of view of a bunch of vampires, but Danny put his arm around the teenager's chest from behind, supporting him, when facing the Alpha.

"Don't worry, Scott. I will find him a patron and nobody will dare to touch him." The incubus promised, knowing that not only would Scott tear off the arm of anybody who dared to touch their pup. He personally would drain anybody who would come within a three foot radius of his thrall with less than pure intentions. Since he was an incubus, the chances were good that he would be able to spot dangers for Liam before it could reach the vicinity of the boy.

Thankfully, Stiles stepped up to the other Alpha, placing a calming hand on Scott's chest. "Don't worry, Scotty. No member of this pack will allow any harm to come to Liam. Right?"

Reluctantly, Scott exhaled and forced himself to calm down. Quietly he told Stiles, "I reserve the right to tear apart anybody who as much as touches him roughly."

Smiling, Stiles pulled his best friend towards the garage, assuring him, "I'll have Peter hold them down for you. Deal?"

Scott was placated by the promise, but only managed to relax when Isaac wrapped his arms around him from behind when they slide onto the motorcycle behind him. Allison had decided to ride with Peter, being assigned to protect and/or keep him from doing something stupid. Since Club Salvatore had been closed after the first full moon of the year, this would be Peter's first time with the vampires. He definitely was in for a surprise because if Derek hadn't known, it was very likely that Peter didn't know either about the clan of vampires who had lived in Beacon Hills for the last twenty years.

~ * ~


	12. Thralls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As in more than one ;).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you all are waiting how Peter will do in Club Salvatore. Don't worry, we will look into that in detail.  
> My everlasting gratitude goes to my betareaders 'Wecantgiggleatacrimescene' and 'Memprime'.

Peter was close to sneering when the pack passed the long line of potential guests in front of the 'Would be Vampire-Club' that hosted most of the club-scene in Beacon Hills. He had been a regular guest of this establishment some ten years ago, but he had not bothered to return ever since the fire. He had outgrown the desire to party.

He couldn't help but snicker when watching the people waiting to get in. Surely the two Alphas of Beacon Hills would have no problem getting permission to enter. No bouncer was immune to a little persuasion from Benjamin Franklin. The werewolf was a little surprised, when the tall, black man put his hand on Liam's chest, keeping him from entering. Danny still had his arms around the boy but for the life of it, Peter could not hear what he told the bouncer.

Still, they were able to pass and as expected, Stiles led the pack straight over the dance-floor, the crowd parting for him, and towards the bar. After having his first drink, Peter saw the owner of the club, Katerina: a gorgeous blonde with legs a mile long.  He watched as she approached Stiles and kissed his cheeks.  She then did the same with Derek, who seemed to be fused to Stiles' side. Then she asked to dance with the Don and Peter came to realize that this Club was located on Stiles' territory. Of course the lady was trying to butter Stiles up; she was about to pay him her monthly due.

After taking another sip of his drink, he pondered whether he himself wanted to dance as well, since a gorgeous red-head was looking his way who seemed positively edible. Peter was surprised to find Derek sliding off his stool, placing his hand on Stiles' back. After looking at the two of them, the lady smiled knowingly before they all approached the dance-floor. The couple was pulling the woman into their midst, grinding against her seductively. It surely was a sight to behold and when the previously mentioned red-head approached Peter, he agreed to dance with her, smiling, but still showing far too many teeth to appear harmless. Surprisingly, she was not frightened by the gesture, but apparently charmed by it.

~ * ~

Danny was enjoying Liam's eagerness when the boy drank in the atmosphere of the club. In Pittsburg he surely had not been allowed to enter such establishments and even if he had, Danny doubted that they would have been as sophisticated as Club Salvatore. Liam's emotions were intoxicating to Danny and he enjoyed pulling the boy to the dance-floor. The young vampire he had fed for the last six months approached them and smiled shyly before joining them at the incubus' inviting gesture. The new vampire touched Liam's hips, angling lower but pulled back his hands when the incubus flashed his dark eyes in warning. Still the undead did not allow himself to be derailed. He talked and laughed with Liam, and after a while Danny felt safe enough to leave them be.

When he returned to the bar, Danny felt an itch at the back of his neck. There was a feeling of irritation he could not place nor identify. When he looked around, he found all members of his pack well and accounted for. A look towards his alphas revealed that they were lost in their own amusement, clearly not picking up any unease. Turning his gaze inwardly, Danny smiled before asking the bartender for another stool. It had not been his own irritation he had felt but that of one of his thralls. Since Liam was well at the moment, there was only one other person in Beacon Hills who could be the source of that feeling, and he had to be pretty close to influence Danny that intensely.

Walking towards the exit, Danny smiled when he spotted the person he was looking for. The young man tried to explain to the bouncer that he only wanted to peek inside and leave again. He only had to talk business with one of the guests. It would not take more than five minutes, honestly! When Danny put an arm around Jordan from behind, the deputy nearly lashed out, but the incubus held him tight, nosing at his nape to calm him. It would do no good to assure the bouncer that Jordan was his, so he whispered into his thrall's ear, "Flash your eyes and he'll let you in."

Looking at the tall teenager in surprise, Danny opened his arm, to allow Parrish to step closer to the black man, nodding at him encouragingly. Taking a deep breath, Jordan reached into his soul, summoning powers beyond the mundane, letting his eyes burn up. He shivered a little when pushing the supernatural back. The bouncer raised his eyebrows in surprise, but stepped out of the way, allowing the deputy to enter.

As soon as they were down the stairs, Danny pulled Jordan aside and kissed him hungrily. Overwhelmed by the demon's desire for a heartbeat, the young man sank against him, urging closer still and opening himself up for Danny to pull and pull endlessly. He was close to losing the last of his self-restraint when Danny left his lips, mouthing along his jaw until he reached the man's neck, nibbling on the sensitive skin. Pushing at the broad chest in front of him, Jordan shivered, trying to push Danny back despite his every instinct demanding to pull him closer, "I can't. Please, stop. I have to talk to … oh god!"

"Two thralls in one place," Danny purred. "This evening is about to go from good to brilliant!"

Being an officer of the law came with its advantages, for example picking up on such information, even when close to coming in his pants. "What other thrall? Danny!"

Pulling back slightly, plastering himself against Jordan's back, sucking at his earlobe, Danny pointed towards Liam. "Our newest addition: Liam Dunbar. He was the insurance for his clan's compliance at the beginning, but now he is pack."

"Insurance …," the other man started hoarsely, barely keeping himself from grinding back against the incubus. "Insurance like me?"

"Not like you, never like you, beautiful." Danny assured him. "You are mine for your own protection. You worked with the Stilinskis before; our bond is as much for our protection as it is for yours."

Thralls were possessive by nature and Danny was well aware of it. He would not lie, not even to himself, by saying that he didn't enjoy that. It was true what he had just told deputy Parrish that enthralling him had been partially for the man's protection. It was the best way to know when something was wrong at the sheriff's department because the incubus could sense intense stress in those bound to him. On the other side, it ensured the man's unquestionable loyalty, not to Stiles but to Danny and for the new Don of the Stilinski-family that was enough.

"I have …," Jordan tried again, reluctantly pulling Danny's hair to get him closer one last time before stepping away. "I have to talk to Stiles. Please, Danny. I can't, not right now."

No, meant no. No matter the circumstances, so Danny kissed Jordan sweetly one last time, pulling the desire he had just flooded him with, leaving the man considerably calmer. When touching his earring, Danny saw Stiles instantly untangling from his two dance-partners, approaching the bar.

A brief chat with their favourite officer of the law revealed that Rafael McCall had unearthed some new information, some old interrogation protocols that had not been suitable for court since the person who had given the testimony had been intoxicated at the time. Still they spoke of demons and monsters walking the streets of Beacon Hills, doing business with the local dealers. It was nothing substantial, but enough to point the agent into the right direction. The question was if they wanted to reveal their ties to the supernatural, or how far they would go to keep Scott's father oblivious.

~ * ~

Though this was a serious matter, Stiles didn't want to give up this care-free evening in favour of an emergency meeting with Scott. Agent McCall would not discover everything overnight, so Stiles felt safe enough to return to his lover. They got lost in the music and when midnight was approaching, Stiles asked, "Will you rein in Peter when it's time?"

Looking around, spotting his uncle who was dancing with not one but two vampires wrapped around him, Derek had to wonder. "You left Peter roaming around freely?"

"Why shouldn't I?" Stiles asked. Sure he had kept an eye on the new wolf, but until now he seemed to be able to entertain himself well enough, without causing any trouble. So the head of the Stilinski family saw no reason to leash him, since he was not irking their business partners.

"You were not so lenient when I was here the first time."

Looking at his lover, softly brushing away lingering sweat that shone on Derek's forehead before leaning closer, Stiles whispered, "The thought of someone hurting you was unbearable to me. My protective instincts were impossible to suppress that night, especially since this bastard of a vampire approached you repeatedly."

Hot joy spread in Derek's gut, because despite Stiles obviously thinking that he should have kept himself in check, Derek couldn't fault him for his desire to protect. Especially if he had been the one who received protection. That was the duty of the alpha after all. This had not happened – well the werewolf had not allowed it to happen – in a very long time; someone giving so much thought to his well-being. It was calming and comfortable in a way he could not even name. He just knew that he liked it, a lot.

Hugging his boyfriend, Derek looked at the clock and a few minutes to midnight, he kissed Stiles adoringly and whispered, "I'll take care of Peter." He did not like the idea of Katerina embedding her teeth in Stiles' neck. The mere thought of it left him cold and bothered. But he was well aware that he could not contradict the agreement with the local vampires. They offered money, Stiles and his pack offered protection and blood. They had even asked, as politely as possible, if Derek thought about offering as well. But he did not feel comfortable with it, so nobody had mentioned it again. Obviously the donation was voluntary and they had not treated him any differently after his refusal.

The vampires Peter had been with had led him back to the bar reluctantly, leaving the dance floor to Katerina and her inner circle as well as the pack. While the werewolf was sipping his drink, He slowly picked up on the changing atmosphere.  He snickered when his nephew approached him. "Aren't you worried that your little human boyfriend will find this gorgeous blonde more to his liking if you abandon him now?"

Unwilling to play games, being tense and a little on edge himself, Derek shook his head with forced calm. "No, I trust him."

Sneering, Peter turned around, leaning against the bar, in a pose of relaxation. "Not that you have another choice. Stiles is your Alpha after all. He can entertain a relationship with whomever he likes."

Derek wanted to snarl, to flash his eyes and teeth at Peter for even suggesting that Stiles was unfaithful. But he held himself under iron control. Soon the feeding would start, and he couldn't let his uncle make a scene. He had a vice grip around Peter's chest the moment the wolf started to roar when he discovered the true nature of the inhabitants of this club.

Derek was nearly not strong enough to hold him back, because Peter was fighting him like a mad man. He was partially shifted, clearly dominated by his instincts rather than his intellect. Still Derek noticed that instead of trying to approach Stiles, as Derek had on his first night, Peter gravitated towards Lydia who had the gorgeous platinum blonde she had been feeding for the last six months and a raven-haired beauty drinking from her neck.

The girl was looking up briefly, but did not stop the vampires who took her blood, when she saw that Derek was barely able to hold Peter back. She even touched their heads encouragingly, but the moment they pulled back, kissing her neck, she approached the bar, not even a drop of blood marring her white skin.

Unfazed by the transformation that distorted Peter's features, Lydia reached for the collar around his neck and twisted it painfully, cutting off his air-supply and therefore his snarl. Her voice was forceful when she ordered, "Peter, stop it!"

The effect was instantaneous. Losing all fight the wolf whined under his breath, he buried his face in Lydia's neck, nosing and lapping at the skin that had been broken moments before. Looking around, finding both Aiden – who was just pulling back his hand from a sweet little black-haired vampire – and Katerina, who gestured upstairs – Lydia pulled Peter closer into her arms, whispering into his ear. "Get me upstairs. Aiden will show you the way."

Without a moment's hesitation, Peter lifted the girl from the ground, barely separating himself from her and carried her up the steep staircase with Aiden guiding them. Stiles returned to the bar, allowing Derek to scent him as well. The teenager turned in the warm circle of his lover's arms, looking at Katerina who offered a sweet drink. "That went well, don't you think?"

Urging the teenager to take the cocktail, Katerina scoffed and used Stiles' barstool to keep herself from swaying. The spark's blood was like the strongest wine and it instantly rose to her head. It was a pleasant feeling she didn't want to miss for the world. She was aware of the power that came with such strong blood, maybe even better than the spark himself. But she would honour their deal; keeping to herself and her clan out of Stiles' business as long as he was protecting her and hers. "I never understood why you just don't tell them before they come here. That would surely lessen the shock."

Shrugging, gratefully taking the water Derek offered after the sweet cocktail, Stiles reminded his hostess, "Because your deal with dad stated that we keep your secret under any circumstances. I would never break your trust. That's not how I do business."

Shaking her head, the female vampire reminded him, "They realize at midnight at the latest. Do you really think it would bother me if they knew at the beginning of the evening?"

"This is about the principle of the thing," Stiles explained, "You made a deal with my family, I am honouring it to the letter. Everybody wins."

"If you say so," Katerina shook her head, smiling a little. The truth was, she was glad that Stiles was so insistent. She had been betrayed many times, it was good to know that there was someone she could put her faith in. Even if he was only a teenage boy.

~ * ~

Upstairs Aiden was unable to keep Peter from biting Lydia's neck, covering the bites of the vampires with his own. He threw the werewolf through the room angrily once he pulled back. Peter was completely shifted by now, strong and nearly unstoppable. Under different circumstances, Aiden would have been glad for such a strong wolf defending his girl, especially after seeing the way Peter was doing business. The werewolf was determined and efficient, and Aiden doubted that anybody could ever touch Lydia as long as she was with him. Still, biting her was not an option, and they had to drive that message home.

He was wrestling the other werewolf, all the while Lydia was checking the sluggishly bleeding wound on her neck in her mirror, sighing exasperatedly, dabbing away the blood with a clean tissue before wrapping her scarf firmly around her neck. She had one simple rule when coming here: no blood on her clothes. But now the top was ruined and she had really like the way it enhanced her features. When Aiden requested her help with a strangled, "Lydia, do something!" the girl rolled her eyes and stashed away her mirror.

With the small clutch she was using tonight, she swatted Peter right on the nose like an unruly puppy and demanded, "This is enough now! Back off, both of you!"

There was a reason why this girl was outranked only by Stiles. Her natural authority had the wolves heeding her command, backing away into different corners without hesitation. Once she was sure that they both had settled, she reached out towards Aiden, who was completely human again. She kissed her boyfriend tenderly, allowing him to wrap his arms around her. In a pack it was very important to make the hierarchy known right from the beginning, especially in a time of crisis.

When she heard a low whine from a werewolf more animal than human a moment later, she took her time to turn around, stating with a judgemental look, "If you can keep yourself under control and not maim my neck again, you can come closer. But if I see one more tooth you are banned from our room for a month. Are we clear?"

When the werewolf approached slowly, hesitantly, the girl asked again, sharper this time, "Are we clear, Peter?"

Terribly, horribly ashamed by his loss of composure, Peter straightened out of his crouch, forcing the wolf and his instincts back. "Yes, Lydia," was the quiet, nearly inaudible answer. How on earth could he have lost control so easily? He dreaded what the pack would say when they saw him later, but the concept of Lydia getting hurt had been enough to drive him out of his mind.

The fear had not been as strong as the day with the fire, but nearly. Lydia was … family now, he could not allow her to get hurt. He would rather hurt himself than her. But when he looked at her slightly bleeding neck, he realized that he had done what he had feared the vampires would do. A vampire bite could turn you, everybody knew that, or at least Peter hat thought he knew that. But the human members of the pack did not seem the slightest bit concerned. In his fear of losing this girl, losing his new family, he had injured her far worse than those monsters.

With regret, he touched her neck, unable to meet her eyes and Aiden's only briefly when he whispered, "I'm sorry." Leeching away the pain, Peter realized how much Lydia was relaxing into her boyfriend, and he closed his eyes in mortification and repeated, "There is no excuse for what I have done."

Allowing him to help because she was aware that his wolf needed that now, Lydia snapped at him, "You are right, there is no excuse. You are an Alpha and were I only human your bite would have either killed or turned me. But you didn't even think about that, you only thought about staking your claim over that of the vampires I was sharing my blood with."

Peter pulled back as if Lydia's words were blows and in a way they were. "This is not how this works, Peter." She stated in a hard tone. "You belong to us now, not the other way around. We might have needed you, but the decision who gets bitten and who doesn't is not up to you. Clearly you can't be trusted with your reactions. If you can't act human in a crisis, you will stay wolf until I say otherwise."

Peter nodded reluctantly. Aware that he didn't have any foundation to contradict her, he pulled back, undressed and transformed. The sooner he started his punishment, the sooner it would end. Only then could he making it up to the girl he had just injured without reason.

~ * ~

When the three of them returned some time later, nobody mentioned him being a wolf. Stiles merely raised an eyebrow, but Lydia just calmly returned his gaze and with that everything seemed to be settled. Around three a.m. they spilled into the cars, driving home. Jorden Parrish was joining them. Clearly the incubus felt the desire to keep his thrall close.

Danny rarely approached Jordan outside of work. But tonight he used the good fortune that had brought his thrall to their club. Stiles wondered if Ethan would accept another man into their bedroom. Usually Danny fucked his victims in toilet stalls, lonely alleys or rooms rented by the hour. The incubus rarely left a good opportunity unused, but Stiles had yet to witness Ethan joining in on such activities. The werewolf merely hovered protectively and took his incubus home with him afterwards.

Sunday promised to be an interesting day.

~ * ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a question I have to ponder for the final chapters. What would you think is each and every pack-members greatest fear? For Derek it would be betraying his family again (accidentally or not) but what about the rest?


	13. Jordan Parrish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let me introduce you to the relationship between a thrall (a grown up one) and his 'master'.   
> I admit this is very smutty and barely important for the story. So you might as well skip it ;).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My gratitude goes to Memprime and Wecantgiggleatacrimescene, because they remain my trusty betas.  
> My thanks as well to: Maru_Moreno_29, AlexandraF, Thraceadams, CrimsonArcanum, Learningwriter, Rowandre, holysmokesari, VampuricWerewolf and Rogue_Bard. I have not responded to each and every one of you in person and thanked you for your help with the fears for my little werewolf-family, but I have read all of your message and considered each and every suggestion. And while most of them won't make it into the final story, I was really delighted to read them, because they gave me a lot of ideas.

Being in the proximity of the incubus always brought a kind of haze over Jordan. Danny had claimed him a little over a year ago when he had found the deputy cornered by some of their business associates. The dealers had been stupid, stoned and blind with fear to have a member of the Beacon Hills Sheriff's department catching them in the act. So while their customers had fled the scene, three of them had approached Parrish threatening him with gun and knife.

Danny had stopped them because this was not the family's way of doing business. The thugs had been beside themselves and had not even recognized him. From injuring an officer of the law there was no turning back and Danny had known that he had to prevent injuries of any kind. Leaving Ethan and Aiden to seal the entrance of the alley, he had attacked their dealers and when Danny got shot during the fight, he had heard the deputy firing in retaliation.

Looking up from the bleeding wound on his side, Danny had spotted the young man approaching his attacker with a smoking gun. When Danny he looked up – he had partially transformed due to the pain – Jordan had backpedalled and aimed his gun at Danny, trembling with fear. Looking at the wound, Danny realized that his skin had started to bloom black with the gunshot-wound at its source. He had been strong that night so the demon had surfaced, healing his host's body.

Shedding his shirt, allowing wings he couldn't hold back at the moment to unfold, Danny had approached the deputy cautiously, holding out his clawed hand to show that he was unarmed. His powers were pouring off of him in waves, and when Danny demanded seductively for Jordan to give him his weapon, the young man had done so, albeit with fear and trepidation. Danny had closed his hand around the gun, stepping closer yet until he was nearly chest to chest with the slightly smaller man. Carefully he had stashed away the service weapon, purring into the officer's ear, "Now nobody can prove that you shot the guy. I appreciate the protection." Having an officer lose his service weapon was kind of a big deal, but Jordan Parrish was a good man, he would come up with a story.

"I … you …," Parrish had stammered, swallowing heavily around his constricting throat. His eyes had taken in the person in front of him that could not ever be real. Deciding that this was only a dream, Jordan had reached out and had put his hand on Danny's black chest. The skin had been warm and soft and … everything he had ever wanted to touch. Looking up he saw the demon licking his black lips before leaning closer slowly, brushing his lips over the deputy's. The desire to kiss had been overwhelming, and since it had to be a dream, Jordan had not held back but opened up under the seductive touch.

The moment Danny had kissed him, the overwhelming strength of the young man had had the incubus swaying on his feet. Possessively, the teenager had pulled Jordan closer, kissed him deeper. He had touched every part of the young man's body that had been within reach. The sex demon had guided his host's actions when his knees had hit the dirty ground of alley, drunk on the strength of this prey. He had heard the twins approaching, but had hissed at them in warning. Nobody would take this delicious prey away from him.

Parrish had been far too gone to put up any kind of fight when Danny had opened his trousers, pulling free the young man's cock. The deputy had groaned in delight before Danny had remembered to wrap his wings around the two of them, shielding them from the word. The blowjob the incubus had offered had been languid and drawn out and the energy he was pulling from the young man had seemed endless. When Jordan had finally spilled into his mouth, Danny had lapped up everything greedily, surprised to find the man staring down at him. Usually his victims lost consciousness at that point.

But Jordan had only carded his fingers through Danny's hair, eliciting another purr from the demon, asking hoarsely, "What are you?"

Licking his lips while straightening the deputy's clothes, Danny had giggled, drunken from the amount of energy he had just ingested. "I think what I am is very apparent. The more important question is: What are you?"

"I'm … I'm Jordan Parrish, deputy of the Beacon Hills Sheriff's department." The young man had replied. Reluctantly he had added, "You are going to kill me now, aren't you?"

Getting up, looking at the man with a mischievous smile, Danny shook his head, "That's who you are, but not what you are. And no, Jordan, I am not going to kill you. That's not what I do."

Sneering, clearly unable to believe the demon, the deputy had replied, "After everything I have just seen. How can you let me live?"

"I …," Danny started, before he realized that he had no clue of how to proceed. "I don't know."

Everybody else would have run by now, but the deputy had not been afraid any longer.

"Why are you not fighting me off if you think I will kill you?" Danny had wondered.

"You are a demon, with wings. What good would it do?" Jordan had answered, at loss of what to do. No, he had not wanted to die, but he neither had wanted to spend the last moments of his life fighting the inevitable. He had felt far too good after what had happened. Better to go relaxed and somewhat happy, maybe it would hurt less that way.

The deputy had watched Danny touching his ear and had heard him giving an anticlimactic summery of what had happened. Whatever the reply, it had made him light up, his smile so strong it had been blinding. When he had looked at Jordan again, he had folded back his wings, turning around to see the twins carrying away the dead dealer.

Ethan had watched Danny and Jordan in concern, but his partner had only smiled and nodded assuring before turning back towards Parrish. Tenderly he had touched the young man's cheek. "You have seen far too much for me to let you go easily. But you are delicious and you were helpful and I am allowed to keep you. Is that acceptable to you?"

"The alternative is …?"

Closing his eyes, Danny had sighed, "You leaving Beacon Hills and never coming back. I don't want to kill you, but I can't let you return to the department unsupervised."

Wondering, Jordan had asked, "And you making me your …"

"Thrall."

"What does that mean? Do you plan on captivating my mind so that I won't betray you?" The Deputy had tried to shed some light on Danny's plan.

When Danny had nodded the young man had taken a step back. "So you  will take away my free will?"

"No! … Yes. … That's not how it works," Danny had tried to explain. "Ensnaring you will make you sympathetic to my wishes. It's not mind control, it just makes you reluctant to hurt or disobey me."

"And what commands would you give? For me to spy for you and tell you what's going on in the department? For me to turn a blind eye, whenever one of your victims is found in a dark alley? For me to help your family escape, whenever a member of it gets captured?" He had asked, folding his arms over his chest defensively, raising his chin in a last attempt of defiance. Even he had known that he didn't really have a chance against a demon, especially not with his two associates within earshot.

"No, Jordan." Danny had assured him softly, reaching for the young man's cheek, cupping it tenderly. "My only command for you would be to protect our secret. You are good at what you do and so are we. Otherwise our family would have long been captured. You obviously know who we are and I don't expect you to _not_ do your job if evidence becomes so apparent that it can't be ignored."

"How can me doing my job suit your needs?" Parrish had asked, slowly giving up his defensive stance when the nearly magic touch of the teenager had eased the fear in his chest.

"Because we have watched you, like every other member of the department. You are a good man. I will trust you to do the right thing."

"Right thing like what?"

"Right thing like shooting a thug in a dark alley, because he had attacked a member of a known crime family."

"That was self-defence." The deputy had defended his actions. He had looked at Danny provocatively as if expecting to be contradicted.

"No, it wasn't." Danny had reminded him, shaking his head slowly, "Because I have made damn sure that he was not attacking you but me."

"Why are you even giving me a choice in this?" The man had asked, not understanding why they had had this conversation.

"Because you are a good man," The incubus had repeated. "And though I might be a bad one, a demon even, I'm not completely amoral. So choose, but know that you won't get another chance. You either become mine or you leave and never come back. If you set foot in this town without being bound to me, I can't protect you any longer."

Hesitating for a moment; Danny had had to send away the twins because they had gotten impatient; Jordan had asked in a whisper, "What … what would I have to do?"

Smiling triumphantly because things clearly were going his way, Danny had stepped closer purring into the deputy's ear, "There are many ways, but how would you feel about reciprocating?"

Jordan had allowed himself to drink in the enchanting figure, the lean, powerful form, the black eyes and the wings and tail. Jorden had needed a mere moment to nod his consent. He had been ready to go down to his knees, yet Danny had kept him upright, caressing his neck, "Not here little one, let's go to my car, its cleaner and far more secluded."

In a daze, torn between running and following, Parrish had allowed Danny to guide him to his luxurious car, noticing that the incubus made a hand gesture towards the twins who had pulled further away. The backseat of the black Lincoln was generous and Jordan had not had any problems sinking to his knees in front of Danny once they had pushed forth the passenger's seat. Still, taking in the black form who had lost its wings but still appeared entirely demonic had needed some getting used to.

Expecting the demon to get impatient, the Deputy had reached for his belt-buckle, only to feel soothing fingers carding through his hair. "Do you want me to shift back to my human skin? Would that make it easier for you?"

"No, it's just that I …," Jordan had stammered, "I don't really know what I am supposed to do. This is my first time with another guy."

Obviously thrilled by that piece of information, Danny had pulled the young man up and kissed him hungrily. The deputy had felt passion overwhelming him and after a few moments he had started to hunger for the incubus. Eagerly, Jordan had opened the trousers, delighted that he didn't have to bother with pants and had then leaned forward to swallow Danny, like the incubus had done with him in the alley.

But he had achieved nothing but choking himself on the incubus cock. With a soft laugh, Danny had pulled him back and kissing him again, far more gentle this time. The incubus had whispered against his forehead, "Take your time, use your hands, do whatever you feel most comfortable with. This is not a contest of how fast or how deep you can go."

Looking up, Jordan had felt marginally encouraged by the affectionate smile he had been given, before looking at the obsidian cock in his hand. Hesitant at first, he had started to play with it, to trace the veins on the underside. When beads of white cum had emerged from the tip, he had leaned forward slowly, tasting them. It had smelled and tasted like nectar and ambrosia, heady and delicious and soon the young man had given up his reluctance. He had worked Danny's cock eagerly, lapping up every drop of cum he had been able to produce.

Danny had had to concentrate on not breaking the upholstering of the backseat with his razor sharp claws because honestly, Jordan's eagerness had been killing him. The young man had needed a little prompting at first, but once he had tasted the incubus' seed he had not seemed to be able to get enough of it. Danny had fought to keep himself under control, because arching up and choking the young man wouldn't do. Not when his thrall had been so eager to please. And Parrish had been so very good. He had had the incubus close to orgasm in no time. Briefly he had wondered if they could make this a regular thing, well more regular than once every season as was required for the maintenance of the bond.

When his orgasm had rolled over him, Danny had barely remembered that he had a job to finish. Clawing his way out of the darkness that had threatened to swallow him, he had whispered the necessary words to bind Jordan to him and once he had been finished they had both sat in the car, panting and dazed. Jordan had had his head on Danny's thigh, slowly caressing the now limp cock in apparent fascination. Danny had just sat there, caressing the young man's head lovingly because this was honest to god the best blowjob he had received in a while.

They had sealed their new arrangement with a kiss and when they had emerged from the car, Danny had accompanied Jordan to his police cruiser, making sure he was all buckled up and safe before he had allowed him to drive away. Ethan had been by his side the moment the car had been out of sight, and Danny had sunken against his boyfriend gratefully, barely able to remain on his feet. He had never known how much thrall could affect him, but on the other hand, Jordan was his first. And he had enjoyed that tremendously.

~ * ~

Now, about fourteen months later, though Danny and Jordan had met several times and not only for business, the young man felt reluctant to enter the crime family's home. This was a step from where there was no turning back. Until now he had kept his relations to the Stilinski family hidden from his superiors. But tonight someone surely had seen him getting into the car with Danny and Ethan and the news would inevitably reach the Sheriff.

Still, he couldn't regret accompanying his master. Danny had kept his promise. And though Jordan still had been able to keep his free will, he felt drawn to the incubus, eager to pleasure him and to be of service. sometimes he simply desired to be close to him. He had received one of the ear-studs, an inconspicuous piece of jewellery in silver, which did not resemble the Stilinskis earbuds in the slightest. He only used it in the evening, wore it to reach Danny to tell the incubus about his day, to hear about his. They never talked about family business, just about drunken drivers, tardy contractors and everything else that really didn't matter but gave them a reason to speak.

Now, that he was with Danny, Jordan did not really know how to react because he knew about Ethan, knew about the relationship between the demon and his werewolf. Somehow the young man doubted that Ethan would enjoy his lover being with anybody but him in their own home. So he was surprised when Danny led him upstairs, with Ethan touching the small of his back reassuringly. The young man looked around nervously when they entered a room that clearly belonged to his hosts. Ethan and Danny apparently didn't feel weird since they shed their clothes as if it was the most natural thing do to.

When Danny noticed Jordan standing there stiffly, he reached for his hand, "Do you want to join us in the shower?"

"I …," Parrish started, eyes flickering uncertainly to Ethan. "I don't want to cause any trouble." Because honestly, who would share a man like Danny?

Chuckling lowly, Ethan stepped behind the deputy, starting to pull up his tight shirt, nosing at his neck, "If you were trouble, I would not have allowed Danny to bring you. But he wants you, so here you are. No need to be anxious about it, Parrish."

When they entered the bathroom together, Jordan was a little taken aback by the generous walk-in-shower. He took in the countless shower-heads and the sophisticated design, not even noticing that the teenagers had bracketed him and he shivered briefly when the first surge of water hit him. But soon the first shock was replaced by a furnace spreading in his gut when Danny started to kiss his neck from behind, while Ethan reached for the products to clean the three of them.

Danny's voice in Jordan's ear was pure seduction when the incubus asked, "What do you want?"

Turning around, Jordan looked into the incubus eyes who showed nothing but affection, whispering hoarsely, "You … I want to taste you."

Gesturing over his body, Danny smiled, "Help yourself, little one."

The blowjob now was even better than the first one the deputy had given, not only because the young man had gained experience, but because every last trace of reluctance was gone. What made this even better was Ethan stepping around them, hugging Danny from behind, mouthing at his neck, nipping at the sensitive skin between neck and shoulder with his blunt, human teeth.

Once Jordan had finished with Danny, he and Ethan made sure that the incubus was clean before Danny and Ethan turned their attention to Jordan, soaping up his body, his hair, caressing him, sending sparks of pleasure through him until they had him panting.

Once out of the shower, the two members of the Stilinski family dried their favourite deputy and guided him towards their bed. For a moment Jordan just lay there, looking up at the two of them, nearly out of it in the haze of pleasure they had evoked. But then he realized where he was and with whom and tried scramble away. Despite everything Ethan had said Parrish knew werewolves to be territorial creatures. There was no was way the boy was alright with another man in his partner's bed.

Yet as soon as Danny noticed his attempts to leave, he crawled over the young man, softly touching his face. "Don't be like that, Jordan. Now that you are here, don't play coy with us."

Arching into the caress, simply unable to keep his body still, Jordan shuddered, "But you can't … Ethan … he …"

"Let Ethan be my concern," Danny whispered before lowering himself for a mind-blowing kiss. Jordan only saw at the edge of his vision that Ethan had produced some kind of dark bottle from their nightstand, crawling onto the bed behind Danny. The young man heard a cap open, and a whispered instruction, "If you want to take him, you have to prepare him. His body will not be as accommodating as yours, Danny."

Turning away from Jordan, twisting towards his partner who kissed him possessively, Danny nodded and reached for the offered lube. He put it on display, making a show of coating his fingers before trailing from Jordan's still slightly damp belly down to his groin. Seductively he demanded, "Say yes, Jordan. Please. Let me take you, I promise it won't hurt."

Looking up at the incubus, eyes full of trust, Jordan could only nod. "I know, you would never hurt me." A little hesitant, he opened his legs for the incubus and sucked in a hitched breath, when Danny first caressed his hardening cock, before circling the tip of his hole, excruciatingly slowly, dipping the first finger into his body.

What followed was pure torture, but in the best way possible. Danny was deep-throating him again, but did not allow him to cum. Instead he worked on Jordan's backside, loosening him up with fingers and an occasional flick of his tongue that drove the young man out of his mind. When he looked up, he saw Ethan watching their interaction with hawk's eyes, occasionally closing his hand around Danny's erection, making the incubus exhale hoarsely and push back into his lover's caress.

When Danny crawled up again, he searched his thrall's eyes, and only when the young man nodded his consent once more, did the incubus slowly started to sink into the pliant body beneath him. Once he was completely surrounded by Jordan's heat, he stopped moving, allowing both of them time to adjust. When Parrish felt Danny stirring, he looked up watching Ethan crawling up to Danny from behind, obviously sinking into the incubus' pliant body.

"Is … you … he …," The concept of taking another while the person in question was taken by himself was more than the deputy could comprehend. Things like that didn't happen in real life. He felt overwhelmed by the situation, as if walking in a dream, and the black bleeding into Danny's eyes and the pleasurable groan was proof that the incubus was delighted as well. When he looked down at Jordan, his eyes burned with desire, the deep voice of the demon vibrated through his very being when the boy assured him, "He is. And he is the only one who's allowed to do that. Now hold on, little one, and enjoy the ride."

It turned out to become more like a rollercoaster. Jordan could feel Danny fucking into him, brushing over his pleasure spot with sure strokes. He could feel Ethan fucking into Danny whenever the incubus hesitated for a moment, egging his partner on. Ethan's eyes started to glow in the brightest blue and his fangs elongated, holding Danny in place by biting into his shoulder. Closing his eyes to the overwhelming bliss, Danny rode the waves of pleasure both of his bed-partners were evoking in him and inevitably the incubus was the first to spill.

When he felt his insides flooded with the incubus' hot seed, Jordan arched from the bed, fucking into the strong, clawed hand that had wrapped around his dick at some point, unable to look or even care who helped him over the edge. The hand tightened around his cock nearly painfully, when Ethan's trembling proved that he too had followed them into bliss. Panting, he sagged against his partner's body, not strong enough to stay upright.

When Jordan opened his eyes minusculely, he couldn't close them again because Ethan was scooping up the cum he had spilled over his own belly. But instead of wiping it off, he offered his hand to Danny who was licking Jordan's seed from it as if it was the most delicious cream.

Once Jordan was clean, Ethan pulled back, allowing Danny to sag from his hold and sink down on the bed. The deputy tried to move but could only do so with Ethan's support. Unsure if he was expected to leave now, he was relieved when the werewolf whispered, "You can use the bathroom to clean yourself, otherwise you will stick to our sheets; and no matter how soft they are, you don't want that."

Looking at the already sleeping incubus, Jordan asked, "What about him?"

Smiling, clearly pleased by the thrall's concern for his partner, Ethan shook his head. "His body won't allow any proof of pleasure to escape. That's what he feeds on after all."

When Jordan returned to the room a few minutes later, he found the bed stripped of the cover, with Ethan wrapped around Danny from behind. There still was a comfortable spot left for him on the other side of the incubus, and at Ethan's encouraging nod, Jordan claimed it. He was surprised that despite being fast asleep, the incubus pulled him close into the position of the little spoon.

With the smell of their shared sexual encounter and huddled into the warm embrace of his master, Jordan finally closed his eyes and was asleep within seconds.

~ * ~


	14. Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is really self-explanatory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In two hours I'll be off to see the last Hobbit Movie. I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about this one. It's not as if I don't know how this story will end and that there will be dead and suffering instead of a happily ever after.

The next morning deputy Parrish was included into their morning routine without anybody looking at him twice. Nobody seemed to think it strange that he claimed a place at the table.

Maybe Danny brought back thralls regularly, the deputy wondered. Jordan did not like the jealousy that flared up at that thought, but it was not as if he could do anything about it. The incubus and he lived in two different worlds and he had as little right to concern himself with what the demon did than Danny had any right to peek into his work.

Caring for their own business and only meeting occasionally had worked pretty well for the last year. So Jordan swallowed his emotions and reached for the coffee, trying to mind his own business.

When Ethan passed him with a plate full of pancakes, the werewolf stopped and inhaled deeply. Inquisitive eyes fixated on the deputy. "You smell jealous. Why?"

Being surrounded by werewolves clearly had its drawbacks. Since it was useless to deny it, Jordan revealed, "I was just thinking about how accepting everybody is of me being here. But with Danny being what he is, I'm sure you people get used to one-night-stands at the breakfast table."

The werewolf snickered – really the young man could not see the slightest humour in this situation – and then revealed, "You are the first one who stayed with us because Danny wanted to keep him close. The other thrall that is bound to our incubus was never fully claimed since he is only fifteen. The whelp lives with us, because Scott bit him."

"He never …," Jordan started, swallowing around his closing throat in the middle of the sentence.

Smiling impishly Ethan shook his head. "Not once before you."

Jordan couldn't suppress the smile that lit up his features for the rest of the breakfast. It was so comfortable to sit between Danny and Ethan, feeling the incubus' lingering touches and the warm affection from the werewolf by his side. He might be a third wheel, but at the moment it didn't feel that way and he was glad.

That not everybody shared that feeling became apparent, when Danny's other thrall came down to join them.

~ * ~

Liam stumbled into the room, pulling down a tight-fitting shirt with long sleeves, smiling at Danny's appreciative nod, but froze in his tracks when he spotted Jordan. Regarding how Danny and Ethan gravitated towards the man, it was obvious that he had been with them last night. And all that on top of the happy and slightly sex-smell the deputy gave off.

Accusingly, Liam gestured towards the other thrall and growled, his fangs and eyes showing, "So this is how it is. You collect your thralls in clubs and bring them home to fuck, all the while banishing me to the other side of the house. But I was here before him, Danny! You can't do that!"

Tilting his head, letting the black bleed into his eyes to assert his dominant position over his young thrall, Danny hit him with the power of the demon's voice, when reminding him, "Jordan was my first. The first thrall I have ever taken and he is here because I want him to be. Anything beyond that is none of your concern. You belong to me, not the other way around!"

"If you don't want me, why did you even bother saving me in the first place?" Liam yelled accusingly, whipping around, stomping up the stairs, banging the door to his room.

Stiles sighed, watching his wolves following the teenager's path with their eyes, until it ended at the far side of the house, right over the garage. Carding his fingers through his bed-hair, Stiles asked, "He left again?"

Danny and Scott shared a guilty look but had to nod regardless.

Groaning, Stiles rubbed his hands over his face. "I love this boy, I really do, as much as every other member of this pack. But this is the third time he left without a stud. I have already told him twice, you at least as many times, Scott. I swear to you, when he returns I will slap some sense into him. This is dangerous and you know it."

Reaching for his best friend, Scott pleaded quietly, "Stiles, he is young. The full moon is still affecting him. He will learn. I will teach him, I promise."

Shaking his head sadly, Stiles replied, "I'm aware, Scotty. But he can't stay with us if he doesn't follow our rules. That's too dangerous. We have enemies, powerful enemies who stop at nothing to harm us. Lydia just told me of another group that was planning an uprising to take over our territory. We can't allow ourselves any leniency. If he can't learn …"

"He's just jealous." Danny stated quietly, as if that was an excuse for Liam's behaviour. But Stiles wouldn't let this one slide.

"Really?" the teenager asked sharply. "When was the last time you strengthened your bond? You meet with Jordan regularly, but what about Liam?"

When the deputy tried to pipe up, Stiles held up his hand towards him. "This is not your fault, I am not implying that, Deputy Parrish. Danny is responsible for his thralls, to make sure that their bond stays strong. To convince them of his care and his affection. This bond goes both ways and it can't stay strong when Danny doesn't enforce it regularly."

Angrily the incubus rose, "You know damn well that I can't 'enforce' the bond with Liam the same way I do with Jordan. Hell, the boy is not even legal!"

"Sit down, Daniel." Stiles voice was cold as ice and every wolf at the table held his breath.

Even Jordan could feel the power this teenager was extruding. Had he ever had doubts about Stiles being fit for the position of the leader of a crime family, they evaporated with these simple words. This was raw power and it affected every person at the table.

"You took Liam as your thrall at my prompting. You did so without committing statutory rape. So don't insult my intelligence by implying you can't strengthen your bond with him without intercourse." The Don of the family continued coldly. "I'm not saying that you should feed him your cock, but he damn sure needs more than gaming nights and puppy piles. And if you had taken care of that, he would not have acted foolishly, or been unnecessarily jealous, because he would have been sure of your devotion."

Shaking his head, looking at the incubus with tremendous disappointment, he continued, "You know how possessive bondsmen are. Now Liam is out there, thinking that you don't care for him. Jordan is sitting here, felling like this is all his fault. Is that what you want for either of your thralls?"

Shivering, because his master's displeasure dispelled any lingering comfort he had drawn from last night, Danny shook his head and hung his head in shame, whispering regretful, "No, that's not what I want. I want them to be happy. I'm sorry, Master."

Taking a deep breath, calming himself, Stiles looked at Scott. "He's your beta, so call the shots. Should we go after him or wait for him to return?"

Pondering over the question for a moment, Scott decided, "His wolf will need the comfort of the pack soon enough. Liam has benefited greatly from being with us. He's not made for the position of the lone wolf. If he hasn't returned on his own by six p.m. we will look for him. But let's give him time to cool off. He will be far more receptive to anything Danny has to say after that."

Nodding his consent, Stiles invited, "Alright, so let's return to breakfast."

~ * ~

The mood was noticeably subdued after that. But the teenagers bounced back after a while, talking about yesterday and how much fun they have had. Everybody but Peter, who lay curled up in the corner of the living room, without anybody addressing him. When breakfast was put away, Jordan collected his belongings but hesitated at the door. Danny had not been receptive to his concerns, but Ethan had assured the young man that nobody blamed him for what had happened. Stiles was just emerging from the kitchen with a bottle of juice, making his way towards his office, meeting a hesitant Jordan on his way.

"Sir?"

Smiling crookedly, Stiles told him, "You can call me Stiles in here. No need to be formal at home."

"Stiles, I …," Jordan started, unsure of how he should phrase his request. It was a bad idea, he was aware of that, but he really wanted to know that Liam was safe. "Could I … I mean if you wouldn't mind, could I maybe stay until Liam returns? Just to make sure that he's alright. I know that I'm not a part of the family and I promise not to touch anything, but …"

Touching the young man's shoulder comfortingly, Stiles nudged him towards the living room. "You are obviously not part of the family, because you couldn't do your job otherwise. But through your association with Danny you are still one of us. Therefore you are welcome in this house. I don't know if Danny ever spelled it out for you, but you do have our trust. At least until you prove that you don't deserve it. Until then, you are free to come and go as you please."

"I don't … I'm a deputy of the Sheriff's department. And Agent McCall is trying to build a case against you. Maybe I will have to come and collect you one day." Jordan reminded Stiles reluctantly.

Chuckling lowly, Stiles shook his head. "That's you doing your job, something we count on. That's no betrayal of trust. Just do what you think is right and we will all get along. And now help yourself to some games, movies or books from the living room. Rummage through the cupboards all you want. Look at the garage, the kitchen; on this floor, every room but my office is open for you. If you have energy to spare, downstairs is a gym. Everything with us is pretty self-explanatory, so enjoy your stay."

Derek, who had waited in front of the door to Stiles' office, since he had wanted to borrow a comic, looked at his Alpha with surprise. "You are giving him free rein?"

Shrugging, Stiles opened the door, inviting Derek in, "Sure, there is nothing conspicuous on this floor, and if anybody notices that he has spent the day with us, he at least can give his boss details of our home, proving that he had been sufficiently nosy."

"You put a lot of faith in him." Derek deadpanned, looking at the wall of comics, deciding which one to choose.

Booting up his computer, Stiles snickered, "I really am not. You know the furnishings of our ground floor, what could he find that reflects badly on us?"

Going over the rooms and their equipment, Derek realized that there really was nothing conspicuous. The teenagers kept them methodically clean, which proved an advantage with the unexpected guest. When he had chosen a comic, he gestured towards the couch and Stiles invited him to stay with an affectionate smile.

For a few hours both dove into their own world of fiction. Derek realized that Isaac's considerations from a few weeks ago had been right. Stiles' G.T.A. was indeed running in Russian, at least if the curses Stiles were throwing at the screen were anything to go by. When the teenager paused the game after a few hours, Derek watched him step to the window, leaving the room when he spotted someone in their back yard.

~ * ~

Despite how generous the house had been constructed, there were a few things it was unable to encompass. Danny pacing in his demonic form was one of them. After brooding for an hour, he had realized that Stiles had been absolutely right. He had taken care of Liam. He had helped him with his school-work and had snuggled with him on their movie nights. Danny had played video-games with the boy and had helped him to hone his werewolf senses. But he had not once enforced the bond between them, like he had done with Jordan. No wonder the boy was jealous and unsure of his position.

Angry with himself, Danny swept the sharp edges of his wings over the snow-covered ground, creating swirling patterns whenever he turned. It was several degrees below zero, but despite not wearing a shirt, the incubus did not feel cold. Last night had boosted him considerably and now he used the energy to keep himself from freezing. Still, he wondered if he really deserved the comfort, having failed Liam so profoundly. Sadly, Danny knew no easy solution for his problem.

When Stiles stepped out of his study and into their back yard, he watched Danny for a few heartbeats before the incubus became aware of him. The two teenagers watched each other over the distance. Stiles, taking in the agitated, transformed form of his friend – Danny, looking at his master who stood strong and unmoving at their back-porch. They studied each other for a few moments, and though Danny wanted nothing more than approach Stiles, he didn't know if he was welcome.

Stiles walked along the back of the house, claiming a place on the swing that stood there year in and year out. When he finally opened his arms, the incubus practically flew into them, folding his wings just so that he could snuggle between Stiles' legs, clawing at the teenager's waist to get as close as possible. For a few minutes he shivered in his master's arms. The connection between them was nearly overwhelming in this form. Usually it lingered at the back of Danny's head, stronger than his demonic instincts, keeping him human and grounded. But now, every sigh, every breath, every little emotion of Stiles resonated through the demon a hundredfold. This was a part of the spell. Something that was supposed to make the incubus more pliant to his master's wishes, but right now it was torture for Danny because Stiles was angry and worried and generally displeased.

"I'm sorry." The teenager whispered, hiding his face in Stiles waist, "I'm so very sorry. I didn't think."

Sighing deeply, carding his fingers through the incubus hair, Stiles stated, "I know. It had been just you and Jordan for such a long time and you have kept up with his needs perfectly. You made him your loyal servant and assured him of his importance. But you refrained from doing the same with Liam. And while it is important for the boy to be sure of his place in our pack, he should know about his place in your heart as well. You love him, I know you do. Ethan knows you do. Even Jordan realized this morning when he saw how crestfallen you were at Liam's accusations. The only person who doesn't know is …"

"… Liam." Danny finished Stiles' sentence reluctantly, ashamed because he was aware of how right his master was. He had done everything with Liam but what was really important. He could not have sex with the boy, at least not intercourse in any form. He had been honest when he had assured Liam the night of their bonding that he would not take his first time away from him. The first time you always remembered, as much as the person you had been with. But there were other ways and he had neglected to choose any of them.

~ * ~

When around six in the evening the boy still had not returned, even Scott's nervousness started to show. He paced the living room between five and six until Stiles finally called out a search party. Scott distributed their communicating devices and swiftly divided the pack into groups of three. Erica, Boyd and Derek would make one team, Peter, Aiden and Ethan another, the wolves' senses would prove invaluable. That left him and Danny for last, since Stiles would stay behind, with Allison and Isaac as his protection. Lydia would try to cover as much ground as possible by supervising the surveillance feeds of their associates. The humans would remain in the house, in case Liam returned.

Since Liam was Danny's thrall, no matter how weak the connection at the moment, the demon had the best chances of finding him. Once Danny gave the direction, they spread out in an angular pattern to cover as much ground as possible.

Liam had been missing for an entire day, and Danny was placing him not in town but further out in the woods. That meant the pack had a lot of ground to cover to find their lost member. Little did they know how much Liam had suffered throughout the entire day. Stiles would not need to punish Liam for neglecting to pick up his communicator. This day had taught the teenage boy that he should never, ever forgo the protection of his pack, because alone, he was defenceless.

~ * ~


	15. Devious Competitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's find out what has happened to Liam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, even when I am too lazy to mention them, my gratitude goes to Memprime and Wecantgiggleatacrimescene. They support me and my story and without them you would surely have to deal with a LOT more mistakes.
> 
> I know that I am shamelessly stealing for this chapter but in my defense: it fits! Or what do you think?

Had Stiles known what kind of day Liam had been looking forward to, he would not have threatened to slap him. By now Liam had long since realized why the communication devices were so important. During the daylight hours, Liam suffered dearly for every crime, real or imaginary, he had ever committed. He had not even been out of the house for an hour before he had felt a sting at the back of his neck. When he had reached for it, it turned out to be a needle and before he could comprehend what was happening to him, he lost consciousness. He had known that he still was lacking control over his wolf, therefore he had chosen the nearby forest to blow off some steam. That turned out to be an egregious mistake.

He came around several times over the next few hours, but all he noticed was that his hands were bound by something that burned pretty badly and that he was carried somewhere. He even heard voices but he was unable to concentrate so he couldn't understand them.

What finally brought him around was a sickening drop downwards and then breaking through a thin layer of ice, before plunging into the depth of an ice-cold well. Hectically, he treaded water to reach the surface, but when he finally got some blessed air into his lungs, he realized that his situation could not be worse. He was at the bottom of a well that had frozen over, since little sheets of ice were still floating around him.

His first desperate cry for help was answered by a vicious looking man, who looked over the edge. Since the man’s face was cast in shadow, Liam couldn't make out the features, but the maliciousness of his voice made him freeze all over. "Don't worry little boy. You will sink soon enough and your family will get the notification of your death. We will pick you one by one. And when no one is left, this territory will be mine."

Shivering, Liam pressed himself against the wall to make a small as possible target, but the man only laughed nastily before disappearing again. When concentrating, Liam could hear two people talking, but couldn't make out the words. He only noticed that one of them was a man and one was a woman.

After a few minutes of blind panic, Liam tried to approach his situation from a logical point of view, just like Danny had taught him. He was part of a wolf-pack and they wouldn't abandon him. They would come and look for him. He was important to Scott after all, wasn't he?

When he didn't hear anybody for a good few minutes, he reached for his ear to activate the com-link he had been given, but noticed with dread that it was not there.

'Stiles is going to be so furious,' was his first thought.

'Still he has ways to find me. Hasn't he?' was the second.

But the third really made him afraid. 'But what if he doesn't want to? Sure, Scott bit me and saved my life, but he must have had a goal in mind. Nothing comes for free. And I haven't exactly behaved very good. Maybe they already regret saving me? What if Stiles is so angry that he wants to teach me a lesson? What if he will give it twenty-four hours before they will come looking for me? What if he will wait even longer, as a punishment? What if he won't search for me at all?'

Reaching for the slippery stone to stabilize himself in the freezing water, Liam realized that his jeans were dragging him down so he wrestled them off. He submerged several times, but after a few minutes, he was able to get rid of them. The freezing water was now freely moving around his legs, but all he could do was move and keep his body as active as possible. At least he hoped that was the right thing to do. In high school 'Survival 101 – What to do when trapped in a freezing well?' had not been part of his schedule.

After an indefinite amount of time, he decided that trying to climb up was the smartest thing to do. Yet as soon as he reached the top, a black-haired woman leaned over it and pricked him with a needle, filling his body with some nasty looking liquid before he could slap it away. He glared at her, let his eyes flash and tried to growl, but within moments all strength left his body and he fell back down, submerging again.

With a mean snicker, the woman told him, "Try again, young wolf. There is more where that came from. My associates might foolishly be interested in the Stilinski-territory. But I know there is much more at stake here than petty areas for drug-trade. Tell me whelp, how many people in Mr. Stilinski's immediate surroundings are dogs like you?"

When Liam only glowered up at her, desperately reaching for the wet stone to keep himself afloat despite his weakness, she only tossed her hair over her shoulder, laughing at his misery. "It's an impressive feat to have tamed so many, I give him that. But in the end werewolves are only animals, and all animals can be trained. With some you need the carrot and the stick, with others you need a cattle prod. But no matter what, will discover the best method in the end. A tranquilizer dart strong enough to take out a werewolf is strong enough to take out a human as well. Sooner or later your pack will be eliminated and my foolish associates will take care of the remaining humans. The less people associate with these beasts, the better."

She disappeared from the edge, only to reappear on an afterthought. "Oh and if you want to change allegiance, just tell me what I want to know. I have a nice cosy basket and a shiny leash for you."

~ * ~

Shivering, Liam sank back into the water, making himself as small as possible. He would not, could not betray the trust of the pack had placed in him. It did not even matter if they still wanted him or not. They had helped his sister, had helped him after the shooting regardless of how little he had deserved it. They had even saved him when he had gotten shot during the last conflict with the clan-members. Danny had even explained to him that Liam's distress had brought them to Pittsburg that fateful day. The pack had gone to great lengths to help him and his sister and he would not repay them by ratting them out. No matter the consequences.

He fought to stay conscious when the cold got to him because he knew if he dozed off he would most likely drown. But it was hard; he was so very tired by now. The sun was sinking lower and the light turned into a flaming orange hue. Did the pack even know about him being in trouble? Maybe Danny would realize. He had before. But on the other hand, Liam had been pretty agitated when he had left during breakfast. How was his mas… the teenager who had claimed him to know that something was wrong?

Liam briefly thought about praying. His mother had taught him; had told him that god was always there to protect him. But then she had died and Maria had had to do horrible things to keep them both alive. What kind of god would allow such gruesome things to happen to a person who had done nothing wrong in her entire life? So the best he could hope for was either a swift death or a demon and a werewolf coming to rescue him. But would they?

Stiles had a firm grip on his pack and he had explained the rules the Stilinski family lived by, time and time again. Liam had not really listened, too caught up in being popular in high school, qualifying for the lacrosse team and sneaking out after dark to meet with his friends. Would Stiles even want him back? He was nothing but trouble, as his sister's boyfriend Mark had repeatedly told him. Liam promised to himself that he would be better. That he would keep his room in order, just like Stiles wanted. And that he would spend more time listening to the leader of this family and, most importantly, heed their rules.

When he returned to them. If he returned to them. In case he survived this.

The human who had mocked him at first was convinced that Liam would die in this well. But the woman who had injected him believed him stronger than that. Otherwise she would have only pushed him down, not given him some kind of muscle relaxant. There was a word for it, Scott had told him about this herb that was very dangerous for werewolves, but Liam couldn't recall the name. Another thing he had paid too little attention to. Still, if he knew the name for it, it would still be coursing through his veins, weakening him to the point where he could hardly keep himself above the surface of the ice-cold water.

Would he even survive the night? If the pack gave him twenty-four hours to calm down and return to them, they would only find his corpse. Maybe not even that since he would die in this well, away from his new home. And that was the heart of the matter, wasn't it? He had found a new home, had been invited and accepted into it. These teenagers had done right by him. Had helped and protected him and how had he repaid them? With ignorance and neglect. He had even shouted at Danny, who had been nothing but kind to him.

Shivering, he remembered the scene from this morning and the jealous rage that had made his blood boil. But who was he to be jealous of a guy ten years his senior? Of course Danny would prefer the deputy to him. The guy most likely knew what other man liked in bed. And he had been with them far longer than Liam, from what the boy had gathered. Maybe it had been his first time in the house, but definitely not the first time with Danny. Did the incubus love him? Had Liam simply been subjected to a lovers quarrel? Had Danny claimed him because he had had problems with Parrish?

No, Liam reminded himself, Danny had claimed him because Stiles had told him to. It had not been the incubus' choice to enthral a mere boy. He simply had made the best of his given orders. Was he angry at Liam for being with them? No, he had been nice to him, supportive with his school-work. Danny had even set up a computer for him, a state of the art machine to help him with his school work. He had even installed a few games for Liam's entertainment. All evidence pointed towards Danny liking him.

The same held true for Scott. He had told Liam that he was his first beta. That he had never wanted to turn anybody but that he simply could not let him die. Scott had saved Liam's life and had done everything to ease the transition from the human world into the supernatural one. He had helped Liam to gain control of his wolf, had let him roam their grounds so that the young wolf could enjoy being outside during his first full moon. They had howled together and what a joy that had been. No, Scott had really cared for him until Liam had messed things up.

~ * ~

The sun was down and Liam felt the cold turning his limbs to ice. He had heard the occasional conversation drifting down, but didn't have an inkling if anybody was coming to his rescue. He was slipping down the wet stone he was holding on to more often now. In the end he decided that nobody would be coming for him. He had but one chance, to climb up again and hope to avoid the evil witch who had drugged him in the first place. Maybe in the dark he would be able to escape.

He tried several times, sliding down again and again until he managed to crawl up with the last of his strength. He was already holding on by the edge of his teeth, too tired, too cold and by now too weak to make it to the top. Yet he knew that if he couldn't make it this time he would die at the bottom of this well and he wanted at least to get the chance to apologize, with the moon that connected them all shining down on him. It didn't even matter that they would never hear him.

He heard fighting from above and could barely suppress a frightened whimper. He was not strong enough to hold on for long but neither could he risk climbing up, in case the people fighting were enemies.

He heard muffled shouts of pain and slowly darkness was creeping around the edges of his vision. Maybe it was better that way. He would relieve his new family of the burden he had been. They would be happier that way. It was alright. They had given him a few months of happiness. Had even allowed him to see his sister one last time. Marie was taken care off, that was everything that mattered.

Sure in his knowledge that his family would be alright Liam slowly felt his fingers slipping off the wet stone and closed his eyes in defeat.

All he could muster was a terrified whimper, when a strong hand closed around his wrist, yanking him out of the well.

When he looked into Scott's concerned eyes, he thought himself dreaming, because why would the Alpha come for him? But when the older teenager affectionately touched his shoulder with so much concern in his eyes, Liam knew that he had been a fool all along. Of course Scott would come for him. They all would come for him no matter what he had done. Because family screwed up. But that didn't mean that they didn't love you.

He didn't even try to suppress the tears that clouded his vision when Scott pulled him into his arms, held him like he was afraid Liam would vanish the next moment, assuring himself that his beta was safe. The relief Liam could smell on his Alpha let him melt against the taller boy. No, he would never leave Liam hanging, would never abandon him, because they were pack and pack protected each other. Always.

When the young boy heard the commotion behind his back continue, he tried to turn around, but Scott held him close, nuzzling into him whispering, "Don't turn around. It will give you nightmares."

"What?" Liam fought against his impulse to see. He already tried to be better, to heed his Alpha's warning, but curiosity got the better of him when Scott revealed, "Danny's demon doesn't like you being captured and drugged. One of your abductors, the woman got away. The man was not as fortunate."

Slowly Scott let Liam go, allowed him to turn around, ready to pull him back when the boy showed any signs of distress.

But strangely, Liam didn't, though the picture was one straight out of hell. A huge, black-winged figure toyed with a human who desperately tried to get away from it. The man's face was distorted with mortal fear, when the monster slashing at him with his razor-sharp claws, destroying the man's torso. Torn between fear and awe that Danny would go so far down the deep-end for him, Liam tried to break Scott's hold. "He will kill that guy. We have to stop him."

Keeping his hold on Liam strong, Scott shook his head. "Stiles will not like it but I'm afraid there is nothing we can do. This jerk endangered one of his thralls. Danny can't let that go. There are disadvantages to having a demon inside of you. If I tried to stop him now, he would tear me apart."

"All because of me?" Liam asked in wonder, and when Scott only shrugged, the boy fought to get to his feet, brushing off his Alpha's hold. "Maybe he will tear you apart, but not me."

"Liam, I …," Scott started, trying to hold his beta back. "I don't think that that's a good idea."

"Will the family be in trouble with a dead body and Danny's supernatural DNA all over it?"

"Yes, of course we will. But we will manage. We always do."

"You don't have to." Liam decided.

He slowly approached the demon who clawed viciously at the human. Understanding the sentiment, the boy wished to tear this man to pieces himself, Liam's first concern had to be the safety of the pack, not his own petty desire for revenge. And the safety of the pack meant for this human to stay alive and be handed over to the authorities.

When he was only a couple of feet away, he started to call for the incubus. "Danny, please, stop. He's not worth it."

Whipping around, nailing the teenager with a furious glare from black eyes, the incubus snarled, his mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. "He hurt you!" But he made no threatening move towards Liam and had stopped tearing the human apart. So Liam dared to step closer.

"That's right, but I survived. Scott saved me and now I want to go home." Liam was relieved to see how much his pleading affected the demon. Danny seemed torn between ripping this human to shreds and giving his thrall what he asked for. Clearly the demon was no threat to Liam, so the boy the last closed distance between them. Ignoring the blood that was painting Danny's body and dripped from his nails he stepped up to the taller teenager and tentatively put his arms around his waist. Instantly he was hugged by two strong arms, enfolded in the protective wings of the demon.

In a dark, unearthly voice, the incubus asked, "Are you hurt?"

Shaking his head, Liam remembered, "They injected me with something and I feel weak, but I am not injured." Looking up he did his best to appear as helpless as possible, something he had very little trouble with, after the day he had had and asked again in a tiny voice, "Please, Danny, can we just go home?"

Liam knew that he had won when soft, human fingers, scratched his neck, pulled him into a closer embrace, nudging him away from the well. Danny brought him to his car, but instead of putting him in the backseat and claiming the wheel, he climbed into the back himself, pulling Liam into his arms again, trusting that Scott would take care of everything and get them home.

~ * ~


	16. Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny strengthening the bond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the faint of heart this chapter will contain violence against a child (Stiles dishes out the slap he has threatened Liam with over breakfast) and even statutory rape (since the law says that a fifteen year old can't consent to a sexual act). I try to have my tags reflect what happens in this story to prepare you my cherished readers as good as possible, but they do not indicate how the characters view the situation, only how I see it. Please tell me if I should add anything to the tags for this chapter so that I won't catch anyone off guard.
> 
> But don't worry, at it's core this is a very nice chapter where Liam learns how much Stiles and Danny (and the rest of the pack) care about him and he's really happy and content in the end. So I am not sarcastic when I say: enjoy :).

Though he was dead tired, Liam couldn't succumb to sleep as easily as Danny. The moment the older teenager relaxed against the soft leather, he lost consciousness. Obviously the transformation and his rampage had taken a lot out of him. Still when Liam tried to get out of the car again to help his Alpha, Danny's arms constricted around his chest, pulling him closer against the demon's warm body.

After everything the teenager had been through, he capitulated swiftly, revelling in the comforting smell of his master and the pack. Combined with the heat Danny's body was giving off, he had a hard time to stay awake. But Scott was not with them and he could not rest peacefully as long as one of his two guardians was not with him.

It took about half an hour for Scott to finally enter the car, turning around in his seat to look at Liam. "That was a very brave thing you did out there. Nobody but Stiles has ever dared to confront Danny when the demon is in control."

"You said he was angry because of me." Liam shrugged the compliment off. "Who but me had a chance of calming him down?"

"I don't know," Scott revealed with a smile. "I just know that Jordan was never brave enough to try."

Upon hearing that name, Liam tried very hard to supress the flare of jealousy. Still Scott noticed and told him, "I know that this coming from me is not that comforting, but you still have to know, Liam, that the demon doesn't have favourites. To him Jordan and you are equally important. Jordan is old enough to enjoy the full range of Danny's abilities, but that does not mean that he loves him more. Danny has merely tried to be careful with you and not bully you into anything you don't want."

"Who says I don't want him?" Liam demanded, raising his chin challengingly.

Smiling, because this boy reminded him so very much of himself, Scott shook his head. "You are fifteen, Liam. The law says that you can't even know what you want when it comes to sex."

"And you all are such law-abiding citizens!" The teenager sneered.

Sighing tiredly, Scott revealed, "No, we are not, but that's beside the point. You are young, you have your entire life ahead of you. Who says that you won't find a girl and fall in love with? Or a boy for that matter. You had no say about the circumstances that brought you to us, but we still want to give you a chance for a normal childhood."

"I'm not a child anymore." Liam sullied, "And I am certainly not normal." He added quietly, trying to cross his arms defensively over his chest, but realized the futility of the gesture, because Danny, wrapped around him, was blocking the motion.

"No, you are not. You are extraordinary, just like every other member of this family." Scott conceded, "But you are still innocent. We don't want to take that from you, because there is plenty of darkness in this world. Don't be angry with us for trying to protect you from it."

"Darkness like people who want to whore me out? Like those who abduct me because they want your territory? Like crazy ones, who inject me with something that makes me weak?"

"Yes," Scott whispered, knuckles turning white because he was gripping the steering wheel so hard. A moment later he felt Liam's hand on his shoulder, soothing his agitation.

The boy's words were a mere whisper when he assured his Alpha, "You are doing a pretty good job so far."

~ * ~

When they returned home, the others were already pacing the living room, anxiously awaiting the return of the youngest member of their pack. Liam entered somewhat reluctantly, and though he could smell the relief that he was back unharmed, nobody dared to approach him.

Stiles face unreadable when he looked down at Liam. The leader of the family nodded towards Scott and Danny before returning his undivided attention to the boy. Liam wanted to speak up, to apologize for everything he had done wrong. Things that had inevitably led to today's events. But his human Alpha's posture made clear that it was not his turn to speak.

Slowly, deliberately, Stiles raised his hand and slapped Liam's face. It was neither a very hard nor a vicious slap and the faint imprint of the hand vanished the next moment. Still it was terribly humiliating to be slapped like a little boy in front of the entire pack. Yet Liam held his ground, tears formed in his eyes when he choked out, "I'm sorry. I am so sorry, I screwed up."

Stiles voice was unemotional when he told the boy, "You will never, ever leave this house without your earring, are we clear?"

"Yes, Sir." Liam's voice was nothing more than a whisper and tears of shame ran over his cheeks. Everything that had happened, his suffering, his pain, everybody looking for him, Danny losing it could have been avoided, if he had remembered this one simple rule. It would never happen again, still he could not look at Stiles.

At least not until Stiles exhaled audibly and pulled Liam into a tight hug. "We were out of our minds. Don’t ever do that again, pup. Promise me!"

Clinging onto Stiles, crumbling the teenager's shirt between his fingers, Liam pulled himself as close as possible, whispering into Stiles' chest. "I promise. I promise I will remember. I will never leave this house without one. I promise. Please, don't be angry anymore."

Simply sinking down to the floor, since Liam gave no indication that he would let go in the immediate future, Stiles looked at Scott and Danny who immediately came closer, hugging Liam from behind, while Stiles petted the boy's wet hair. "I know Liam. It's alright. I was never angry with you, we all were just so scared. Don't do it again and everything is going to be alright from now on."

Nodding emphatically, Liam crawled into Stiles lap, needing the strength and comfort of his Alpha with Scott and Danny pressed into him from behind. Nobody knew or cared how long they sat there. The rest of the pack had taken places on various couches and love-chairs after touching him, assuring themselves that he was alright.

That night Scott, Danny, Stiles and Liam slept in the living-room together, huddled up in a massive pile of bodies because nobody could bear to be away from the others. In the morning Liam would apologize to Danny as well. The teenager had done right by him, right from the beginning and he didn't deserve a thrall who didn't know his place. He was willing to go all demon on Liam's behalf and tear a man apart, so he did care. What more could Liam want?

~ * ~

It was a school-day the next day and despite Stiles offering to call the school so that Liam could stay at home, the young teenager had decided that he would no longer use shortcuts or allow himself any leniency. His new family were good people who cared about him, wanted what was best for him, so the least he could do was make an effort on his own behalf. And that meant paying attention in class and improve his social interaction at school. Without bolstering, without showing off, just by being there and behaving like the normal, average American teenager.

When he returned home after training he packed his things away like Stiles had asked him to repeatedly, earning an approving smile from the Don of the family, before seeing to his homework. Though he had a perfect room, he preferred to do his studying in the living room right after dinner. Scott had explained to him that his wolf felt comforted by the proximity of the pack. Every wolf felt better when all of his pack members were accounted for. That and Lydia and Stiles were usually around to help if he had any questions was another plus.

They all lingered on the sofas for an update of national and international news. When Liam joined them, he staggered in surprise when Ethan pulled him onto his lap, wrapping his arms around the teenager. At the beginning Liam had fought this gesture, not wanting to sit in anyone's lap because he wasn't a little child any more. But after a little while he had realized that his wolf and the one claiming him were comforted by the proximity. So he had let go of his aversion and simply allowed whoever reached for him to hold him for a little while, before he could slid down at the side, taking his own place on the couch.

Ethan however was a first, but when Danny took the place next to his boyfriend, Liam smiled in understanding, relaxing into the wolf's arms. Danny was cuddling with the both of them, laying his head in Liam's lap, wrapping his arms around the young teenager's legs while watching the news, occasionally throwing popcorn at the screen to indicate his disapproval. Stiles told him sternly that he would pick them up afterwards because otherwise Renata would have their heads, Danny simply smiled and tried to pull the bowl out of Liam's reach when the boy tried to take it from him.

In the end Liam, not being confined between the backrest of the couch and the legs of another, managed to wrestle the bowl of popcorn from Danny and shared his prize with Ethan. When it was empty he rose to make another, but reclaimed to his former position upon his return. All in all it was a perfect evening and the young boy closed his eyes savouring the feeling of belonging.

When he was about to start his evening routine, he was surprised to find Danny knocking at his door. Liam had learned that – despite living together like a bunch of wolves, literally – everybody in the house did his best to respect the other inhabitants' privacy. You couldn't help hearing and smelling certain things. But no room was ever entered uninvited, outside of an emergency. So finding Danny, wearing nothing but long, black, shimmering pyjama bottoms that hung low on his hips, came as a surprise. The boy's throat went dry when he heard Danny asking seductively, "Ready to go to bed?"

"No, I just …," he honestly had troubles speaking around his constricting throat. "I was about to take a shower."

Entering the room, Danny looked down at him with unconcealed want, whispering, "Would you allow me to join you?"

"I … I don't understand …," Liam stated helplessly, looking into the empty corridor to find out if someone was pulling his leg.

But he closed his eyes and leaned into the caress, when Danny cupped his cheek with his big, warm hand, pulling the young teenager closer. "I am here to apologize, Liam."

When the boy shook his head helplessly, because this situation didn't make any sense, Danny explained. "Your jealousy yesterday, everything that happened as a consequence was my fault."

When Liam shook his head empathically, honestly how could Danny, who had been nothing but kind to him, ever think that any of Liam's behaviour was his mistake? But the incubus only brushed his thumb over the boys bottom lip, silencing him.

"Yes it was, little one. You were jealous because you saw Ethan and me with Jordan. You thought me favouring one thrall over the other but nothing could be further from the truth." With a deep sigh, Danny pulled Liam to the recliner that sat in a corner of his room, kneeling down in front of him. "You are young, so very young and I don't want to destroy your life over what I was forced to do, namely making you my thrall. I want you to go out there, find someone you like, share experiences with them every normal teenager should have. I don't want to spoil these things for you."

"What if I don't want …," Liam started helplessly, but in the end had to leave the sentence unfinished, because he was not even sure what he wanted. Did he want Danny to fuck him? Did he want his first time to be with a demon who had forced himself on him in the first place, no matter how considerate he was now? A helpless whine escaped him because this situation was all twisted and tore him apart.

"Shhhh," Danny soothed him, caressing his neck. "It's alright, Liam. There are other things you can do before it comes to penetrative sex that will assure you that I don't pick favourites."

"What do you mean?" the young teenager asked hesitantly, because on the one hand he knew that he didn't want the incubus to claim him. But on the other hand every instinct in his body screamed that he wanted to be close to the other. That he wanted to touch him, maybe even kiss him, taste him again and make him smell like him so that he had his own claim on the older boy.

Smiling a little mischievously, Danny repeated his initial question, "What about you let me join you in the shower? I am sure I can make it worth your while."

The innuendo was so blunt that Liam forgot his nervousness for a moment and laughed out loud. When Danny pulled back a little, allowing the boy to stand up, Liam reached for his hand. He had even gotten his own bathroom, completely with huge walk-in-shower and gigantic mirror over the washbasin. Still the teenager was nervous when he started to shed his clothes, operating the tabs to start the shower. He was reluctant to turn around when naked. Danny's body was like that of a Greek god and he was just … well, him, small, gangly and not overly muscular.

He shivered when he heard Danny's silk pyjama pants slide to the floor and flinched for a moment, when the taller boy reached for his shoulders to guide him. Determined, Liam looked at the tiled wall, despite leaning in to Danny's caress until the incubus leaned down, whispering into his ear, "Tell me if I am doing anything you don't like."

Liam could only nod helplessly because the hot water, the light Danny had reduced to near nothing to make this easier for him, the steam and Danny's soft hands on his back were intoxicating. His mind was clouded want and desire. And all the other boy did was reach for Liam's products, working up lather from the shampoo, gently washing the younger boy's hair. Danny was not touching him any more than was necessary and surely not in a sexual context but Liam felt his body stir. Embarrassed, he covered his dick with his hands, flushing red when Danny chuckled behind him. Of course the incubus would laugh. Liam remembered their first, their only encounter far too clearly. Danny was nothing if not well endowed.

His breath caught in his throat, when Danny whispered into his ear, "Don't hide from me, little one. Let me see your beautiful body. I am starving for it."

"You really think," Liam started, slowly turning around, but when he looked up, meeting Danny's eyes the question stuck in his throat. The older teenager's eyes were so full of longing and need that Liam had to press his hand against his shaft not to come on the spot. Never had he thought it possible for someone to look at him that way, like he was the most desirable person on the entire planet. That he was all the other wanted, especially if the other was as good looking as the sex-demon in front of him.

It was Danny's turn now to swallow around a tightening throat, downright begging his young thrall, "Touch yourself. Please. I want to see you. I can't do it myself, so you have to do it for me. Show me what makes you feel good."

The entire situation was unreal, a dream maybe? It had to be because there was literally now way for someone like Danny to beg him to masturbate. Still, when the demon reached for the shower-gel, rubbing it between his fingers, gently putting his hands on Liam's shoulders, the wolf could feel the shivering that wretched the incubus body transmitted though the touch. Danny really wanted him, wanted to see him like this and nowhere in the open desire was the slightest insincerity. The incubus looked at his thrall as if he was the greatest treasure on the planet and that gave Liam the confidence to follow his request.

Touching oneself was easy, or so the boy had thought. You knew yourself, knew what felt good and simply did it, right?

Wrong! Oh how very wrong Liam had been when believing this urban legend. Once he started, Danny started to whisper suggestions while caressing the boy's body, carefully avoiding his groin area. Liam slowed down, worked himself faster, twisted his hand, brushed over the tip, and followed every demand, while the incubus sank to his knees, looking up at him in reverence.

The young boy was shaking with desire, still heeding the whispered orders, keeping himself from tumbling over the edge because that was not what Danny had told him to do. His hair was wet, plastered to his head and his body was flushed with desire, not sweaty for the sole reason that a steady stream of water was washing away every fluid he produced.

Danny's shaking fingers were brushing up his calves, his thighs, his thumbs were caressing Liam's hip-bones, holding the boy steady when he finally demanded hoarsely, "Make yourself cum."

A shout muffled by clenched teeth accompanied Liam's orgasm when he twisted his hand one last time, feeling rope after rope of cum shooting over his own belly. Only Danny's strong hands were keeping him upright, out of the spray, back against the wall, because Liam was sure that he would have sunken to the floor without support.

When he tried to brush the seed from his wet body, he felt a low growl. Black eyes looked up at him. "Let me clean you." The incubus demanded, still he held back, waited for Liam's permission to touch, to taste what he so obviously desired.

Feeling empowered by what had just happened, Liam brushed his hands through Danny's wet hair, angling up his head when daring to order, "Only if you show me what makes you feel good."

In an instant Danny's hand flew to his own rock-hard cock that had ached ever since his thrall had started touching himself. He downright whimpered, when Liam didn't let go of his hair, demanding quietly, "Slower." Slowly he relented, allowing the incubus to lick away the proof of his own desire.

When Danny finally spilled over his own hand, Liam would have been close to coming again, had he not been so drained from his orgasm a few minutes ago. Still he pulled the incubus' hand up, licking away the remaining seed, savouring a taste he had longed for ever since the night of their bonding.

Liam sobered when they emerged from the shower, reaching for towels to dry themselves. He enjoyed the older teenager rubbing his hair, combing through it. But Liam stiffened when they left the bathroom. Well aware that now that Danny had gotten what he had wanted, what he was entitled to receive, the older teenager would leave to join his boyfriend.

So the young teenager was pleasantly surprised, when Danny put on his pyjama pants, and claimed a spot in Liam's bed, opening his arms for his thrall. Barely keeping himself from pouncing at the bed like an overeager puppy, Liam swiftly chose a clean boxer-short for the night, before crawling into the demon's arms.

"Thank you, for allowing me to share this with you." Danny whispered, nuzzling Liam's hair who lay on his chest.

"I think it is I who should be thanking you," Liam snickered, amused by the twisted words of the incubus. Still, when Danny nudged his chin so that he could meet the younger teenager's eyes, he was surprised to see nothing but sincerity.

"No, Liam, it really is the way I say it. You are mine and I want you, every hour of every day. But it will always be you who will decide of how much contact you will allow. You are not my victim," Danny clarified, "I will never enchant you with my magic, make you pliant to my needs. You are my thrall, the most precious thing I have and all I want for you is to be happy."

"So you feel the effect of our bond as much as I do?" Liam asked, trying to make sense from the information he was given.

"Exactly," Danny confirmed, "But with me being an incubus, dependant on the sexual energy of those around me, it is a hundred times worse. Stiles and you are the only two people who know about this. It is part of being an incubus. I am dependant on those bound to me. Not even Jordan knows because we don't know what he is until now, so I can't be sure that I can trust him."

"But if you feel this desire so much stronger, how do you manage to get through the day?" Liam inquired, unable to imagine the longing he felt for the demon increased by so much. He would not even be able to summon a conscious thought, let alone function as good as Danny.

"With Stiles' help," the incubus revealed, "And a lot of practise."

After turning these information over in his head for a while, Liam whispered, as to not wake the incubus should he already be asleep, "Danny?"

"Yes, Liam?"

"I … I think I love you."

"What?" Danny tried to raise to his elbows to get a better look at Liam, but the boy held him on the bed, stronger than him as long as Danny didn't summon demonic energy. After a heartbeat he gave up and relaxed against the cushions. Only then did Liam continue.

"I think I love you, like I love Scott because he is my Alpha and I … I don't want you to feel uncomfortable on my behalf so …" taking a deep breath, Liam closed his eyes before he continued, "So when you need me, something like this or … more, tell me. I am glad that you don't want to force me into anything I might regret in the light of day but … but tell me what you want and I will try to give it to you."

Smiling down at his thrall adoringly, because though the bond did a lot for master and bondsmen: need, desire and passion; love was never part of it. That Liam offered himself so freely made Danny incredibly proud. Stiles had made the right decision when saving him. This teenager had the potential to grow into an extraordinary man. One they could all be proud of.

Accepting the offer with an affectionate caress, Danny whispered, "I promise. We will find a way to make this work. Thank you, little one."

"You're welcome," the teenager answered with a content smile, finally closing his eyes, succumbing to sleep.

~ * ~


	17. Wolf-pet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this case, the pet in question is Peter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that I have had you waiting for quite a while for this one, but I promise the chapters will be coming more regularly from now on. Christmas was just hectic. But I got awesome presents, most of all two betareaders who stayed with me, even over the holidays so now we have another chapter ready for you.  
> Thank you Wecantgiggleatacrimescene and Memprime, your support means the world to me. Lots of hugs and cookies and eggnogs. (It's holiday-season after all.)

For a week everything was fine. They all were a little, alright a lot, on edge because of what had happened to Liam. Danny was looking into everything connected to the guy he had nearly torn to pieces but found very little. The woman who had drugged their youngest pack-member remained elusive, because Liam could not remember what she had looked like due to the bad lighting. Danny and Scott hadn't seen her either, because she had fled the scene when hearing their approach.

Aiden and Peter, still in his wolf form, were glued to Lydia's side when they were out. Derek and Isaac barely let Stiles out of their sight. They all waited for the other shoe to drop, but nothing happened.

When the second week passed uneventfully, the wolves relaxed slightly. Aiden joined Scott again when the Alpha was caring for their business associates and Liam remained tidy and obedient to a fault.  Things slowly went back to normal. Scott was happy that the young boy now heeded Stiles's rules, but worried a little about him becoming too submissive. Wolves in their pack needed spine and Liam had been traumatized. Though Danny would never talk about it, the Alpha knew their incubus to sleep in Liam's bedroom more often than not these days to sooth the teenager's nightmares.

So Scott was relieved to be called to Beacon Hill's high school on Thursday afternoon, it was the third week after the abduction, to pick Liam up from detention. With a straight face he listened to the director complaining about Liam's participation in a prank-war between the lacrosse team and the swim-team. Apparently the two parties were trying to outdo themselves in causing havoc around the high school. The swim-team had been champion so far, because they had dismantled the coach's car and carried it to the top of the gym where they had put it together again. They had been caught before they had been finished, a car on a rooftop did draw attention to itself, but still they had been celebrated that day.

Liam and his friends from the lacrosse team had been sneakier. They had used the day of a swimming contest to enter the coach's office and had glued his desk and his chair upside down to the ceiling. They had even bonded the computer, the desk-pad and several documents to the surface as well, though the paper had been held by a clear plastic wrap on top because – Liam defended himself – they had agreed that documents were nothing to be messed with. The glue they had used would come off easily if it was warmed up with a heat-gun. So there was no real damage done.

And though Scott was well aware that Liam could smell his amusement, he put on a serious face and confirmed that, of course Liam would help with the clean-up and that the Stilinski-family would pay for the tools and colour to sand down the coaches desk and paint it anew. So the principal was placated, at least until Scott ushered Liam out of the office and high-fived him, in clear view of the principal's office.

Liam was relieved when Scott congratulated him on the brilliant prank. Still his Alpha looked at him a little reprehensively when he discovered that Liam had been the one to lift the desk for it to be glued to the ceiling. Nevertheless, he conceded that most likely nobody thought twice about the unusual amount of strength the teenager had displayed, too wrapped up in their successful prank. The student enjoyed his fifteen minutes of fame that evening when he was encouraged to tell and retell how he and his team-mates had managed to pull this off during a normal school-day and together they decided to buy a nice, deep pink to repaint the desk. They could always blame it on the store having given them the wrong colour.

~ * ~

After three weeks, Aiden felt comfortable enough to leave Lydia in Peter's capable hands – or paws – again, resuming his 'normal' duties. Though Lydia invited Derek to join her on occasion, she mostly worked alone with Peter as her only protection. Peter had felt pretty angry about being forced into his wolf-form permanently. He even contemplated turning back during the night, just to prove that he could and that these teenagers were not his owners. Still, whenever he tapped down the stairwell into the living room, pondering how to entertain himself in his human body, he realized that nothing would hold his interest for an extended amount of time. In the end he always returned upstairs, curling up on the bed, lonely and miserable. He would never admit it, but even after such a short time, he felt the need to stay in the good graces of these kids.

Talia would laugh about him, he pondered when walking along the sidewalk at Lydia's heel. Rightfully so, since he had always hated to play the role of the obedient pet. He had fought his sister every mile of their way to the top after the fire, trying to establish his own position, but never ready to take her on. Not without any kind of support. Well, the support had come to him in the end. The teenagers he had turned and abandoned in the first place had chosen him, even if he had not been able to choose them. They had even growled at his own sister when she had tried to keep him from joining them. It was hard for Peter to forget New Year's Eve, the day when he had chosen a new family. All he had to do now was not mess it up and no matter how humiliating the gesture, right now that meant walking on four legs.

When he growled at another pedestrian for walking into Lydia rudely, he had overlooked the officer of the law, who had stood close by. Fate was apparently not on their side, because the man turned out to be the Sheriff of their beautiful town. He was currently guiding a tow truck to remove a car that was parked illegally in front of one of the local doctors. The man smelled like Chinese food from the shop around the corner, and of far too much glee, when he intercepted Lydia's path.

"Ma’am," he addressed her with far too much contempt in his voice for Peter's liking. "Are you aware that your dog should walk on a leash with a muzzle? And his collar is missing his identification plate. I hope for your sake, that you have it on you and that his papers are in order. Otherwise I would have to bring you in to lecture you on how to be a responsible dog-owner and I am sure you have better things to do with your time."

What the hell? Peter felt his hackles rising. This Sheriff had been after the Stilinski family ever since his election, trying to proof himself capable of what his successor had never been able to do: arrest the official head of the crime-family and all of his associates. The truth was, as Peter had learned from a gleeful Aiden, that crime rate has gone up fifteen percent ever since this jerk was in office. The former Sheriff had been on the payroll of the Stilinski family (unofficially of course). They had given him a heads up when a deal of a rivalling family was going down in their territory. In exchange he had kept the FBI away from their doorstep. Crime had been at an all-time low, a win-win situation for all of them.

But this new guy was desperate to prove himself and clearly not smart about it, if he didn't notice that he was out of his league when dealing with one Lydia Martin. Peter was worried how she would argue herself out of showing an ID Peter definitely did not have because he was not an animal. She pulled the rug from under him, when offering a card and a few papers the size of passports, to the Sheriff.

She was smiling, presenting herself sweet and compliant when gesturing towards the papers. "As you can see, he got his latest dog-tag at the end of the last month and all of his taxes are paid, as stated in his identification card. He is registered as a guard dog and this card identifies me as his owner, updates license and all."

Peter had a hard time keeping from wagging his tail when he smelled the frustration of the Sheriff and heard him clenching his teeth. He even stepped a little closer to Lydia, as if to prove her correct, wondering where she had conjured these papers from. Before the Sheriff could find a reason to complain, the girl continued, "And of course he has no leash or muzzle. He would be of little use to me otherwise. As you are very well aware, I have a dislike of weapons and never carry any. But as a business consultant I sometimes have to deal with unhappy customers. So I am definitely in need of protection. Anyway, Peter heeds my commands so there really is no use for any form of confinement."

"Oh really," the Sheriff asked with a nasty grin. "Sit!"

Peter looked up at Lydia and the young woman looked down at him exasperatedly. Both were clearly short of rolling their eyes. Closing in on them, the Sheriff reached for his baton. "Clearly, Miss Martin, your dog is not as obedient as you try to make me believe. So please step away from him. I saw him nearly attacking a harmless pedestrian so I will be forced to bring him in."

This situation was bordering on getting out of hand, so Peter claimed a position in front of Lydia, shielding her from this stupid man. He was concerned what would happen if the Sheriff really tried to claim him, but before anything of the likes could happen, Lydia stated icily. "This conversation actually makes me worried for the people in this town. I just assured you that Peter heeds my commands. Mine, not anybody else's. And if you try to claim my property without reason, I have no qualms about letting him defend himself against such an uncourtly assault. But to ease your conscience, Sheriff, and to prove that the nice people of this town have nothing to fear: Peter, sit."

The wolf obeyed without second thought and sat at Lydia's feet. He looked up at the Sheriff as if to colour him stupid. It was clearly working because though the man gritted his teeth once more when handing back the documents and allowed Lydia to pass. Making their point, Peter remained seated in front of the Sheriff until Lydia whistled for him. He had smelled the human's frustration and had enjoyed it far too much.

Catching up with her he absolutely, positively did not wag his tail, when he heard her saying, "Gloating is a very unattractive feature on a canine." And with this simple words a heavy weight that had sat in his stomach ever since Club Salvatore eased a little. Sure, nobody had hurt him, had mocked him, or even addressed his forced transformation. But neither had a single member of the pack spoken to him beyond what had been necessary. And while Lydia had petted him on occasion, namely whenever he had crouched closer, her movements had been superficial, like she wasn't even thinking of him during these caresses. The dismissiveness of the gesture had hurt Peter more than his wolf-skin ever could and more than once had he cursed himself for his lack of restraint that night.

Lydia's behaviour had isolated and punished him much more effectively than Talia had ever come up with. This girl didn't need to slash him open to bleed him dry. All she and the pack had to do was ignore him. It was like he wasn't even part of their family any longer, as if he was really only a pet and not even a cherished one. And how horrible that thought had been, to realize that things had been exactly like with the Hale-pack. Despite them being wolves, nobody had cared for showing affection in his family. They had considered it a weakness and had not touched each other beyond what had been necessary. Sure, for wolves touch was needed, but the Stilinski-McCall pack was affectionate from sunrise to sundown and beyond and Peter had been excluded from that ever since hurting Lydia.

But the gentle teasing proved that he was slowly working his way up into her good graces again, and he could only hope that whatever he was doing, he could keep it up.

~ * ~

At the shopping mall, where Lydia headed directly to the food court – a very special kind of torture for Peter who received leftovers that were mostly stale – she sighed deeply when she saw her personal 'friend' again. One of the security guards of the mall had taken a special interest in Lydia and when Peter had accompanied her the first time this year, she had ordered him to – ” ~ do whatever is necessary to keep this jerk away from me ~ ”.

One time, when the guy had bothered her so much that she had been unable to get any work done, she had even talked to the manager. Yet since the guard had a flawless reputation, and was always polite to every other customer, the manager had only given him a warning not to overdo it. He had left her alone the next time she had tried to work there, but had bothered her again after that. Peter had claimed a place by Lydia's thigh, growling at him whenever he had come close. It had worked that day, but apparently that guy was unable to comprehend that he was unwelcome.

Still, when the girl set up her equipment after getting herself a salad (at least she didn't make Peter suffer by eating meat) the guy kept his distance. When Peter got bored after an hour he woofed quietly, turning towards the exit. Surely, running around the block wouldn't cause any trouble. Lydia made an absent minded gesture, allowing him to go before focusing on her numbers again.

The air was crisp and cold but Peter relished the chance to stretch his legs. The full moon was barely a week away and after being transformed for so long, he felt the pull even more than usually. When he returned to the mall after about twenty minutes, he realized that the guard had approached Lydia anew and though Peter as well aware that the girl was smart enough to defend herself, he was also aware, that she didn't want to draw any attention to herself because she really liked to work in the mall. Too close scrutiny would make that hard for her. Yet Peter saw that this jerk was working up the courage to go a step further than flirting today. His body language showed his determination and even from a distance the werewolf could smell his arousal.

Before he could think it through, Peter pulled back into one of the janitor's closets, reaching for the first items of clothing within reach. If he couldn't discourage this fool with a growl he would have to spell it out for him. With nothing but too big trousers and a shirt that reached the middle of his thighs, he made it to their table just in time to catch the man's hand in a vice-grip the second he tried to touch Lydia. He didn't remember dressing, nor crossing the food-court. He could only hope that he hadn't drawn too much attention to himself. After a moment's hesitation however, he realized that was a vain hope, since slamming the guy into the table in front of Lydia's laptop, his arm twisted painfully behind his back drew a lot of attention from the other customers.

He leaned down, holding this bastard down with his entire body-weight, hissing into his ear, "I think my mistress has made it very clear that she doesn't want to have anything to do with you. If you approach her again, I will rip out your spine and break it in half." To emphasize the thread, Peter twisted the man's arm a fraction more, before letting him go. The guy was taller than him, but Peter's expression was murderous when he asked, "Am I understood?"

Gaping, the man could only nod and dashed towards the exit. For Peter there was nothing left but to sink into the chair facing Lydia, when his mind caught up with his instincts. Lydia was ignoring him and not even her scent gave the werewolf any indication if she was pleased, displeased or indifferent to him shifting without permission. The man did not lock down his muscles to keep himself from showing any signs of anxiety at the conviction that he had finally blown it. Lydia could very well rise in two hours and tell him to sod off, because he had been unable to follow even the simplest of orders.

Would the pack ask him about what had happened? Would Stiles inquire about the reason for his unpermitted shift? Or would he throw Peter out as easily as he had welcomed him into their home? Would Lydia even take him home with her for a final confrontation? They had used her gorgeous little sports-car, with him on the passenger's seat with an improved belt-system to keep a wolf safe. What if she just left, not looking back? Where would he go from her? He knew that he could never return to his sister. He would never hear the end from Talia, and honestly, returning to the place of the fire held little appeal to him. Would he travel a while, looking for another pack? He was well aware, that as an omega it would be hard to find a new pack, especially with his abrasive personality.

Lost in the tailspin of his own thoughts, he did not flinch, because werewolves didn't do that, when Lydia pushed her credit card towards him. Absentmindedly, as if unaware of his hidden anguish, something Peter didn't even believe for a second, she said, "I will not sit here with you wearing these clothes. Go and dress properly." Exasperated, she looked at him, "And for heaven's sake get some shoes."

She didn't address the shifting, did not mention him calling her 'mistress'. Obviously she wasn't planning on throwing him to the wolves either – figuratively speaking. No, she worried about his sense of style, as if that was the only matter at hand, before returning to her numbers.

Half an hour later, Peter reclaimed his seat, having cleaned himself in one of the bathrooms before entering the boutique where they bought all of their suits, only to be ushered towards the backroom, being outfitted in less than five minutes with dark jeans and some silky underwear. Finding the right shirt and jacket had taken a little more time for the sales woman and the shoes had taken the longest. Either because the sales woman was not happy with the ensemble or Peter with the comfort of the loafers she brought from the store next door. Yet in the end he felt considerably better, more like himself. He was touching his chest unconsciously, trying to rub away the lead-weight that had lessened but not vanished entirely with Lydia's easy acceptance of him wearing his human skin again.

~ * ~

When he returned the card, Lydia offered some cash and prompted him, "Get some food. We will leave in an hour. It's too windy for the park so we will go to one of our safe houses."

Rising obediently, he hesitated when Lydia called him back and beckoned him closer as if wanting to share a secret. When he leaned down towards her, offering his ear, the girl simply turned and kissed him lightly on the cheek, dispelling the last weight from his chest.

Nearly sagging, Peter gripped the edge of the table and the edge of her chair to hold himself upright, burying his face in Lydia's neck where he know the wound to be. With a nearly inaudible whine he nuzzled into it, inhaling the girl's scent deeply into his lungs. He had felt so guilty every time he had seen her hiding the bite under makeup, or flinching when she had wrapped a scarf around her neck. But not once had he been able to express his feelings. Grateful that he finally had the chance, he mumbled into her neck, "I am so sorry for hurting you."

Allowing these affections, Lydia cupped the back of Peter's head, holding him close, tenderly caressing his neck. She was well aware of the torture she had sentenced him too, and she had done it entirely on purpose. His behaviour had been out of line. But now he had proven that he knew how to make use of his human body without doing harm, even with his instincts screaming at him to resort to violence. He had learned his lesson, or so Lydia hoped, because Stiles surely would not let him off that easy the next time Peter hurt a member of the pack.

~ * ~


	18. Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We stay with the current crisis, namely Peter losing control over his instincts, a little longer. Because something similar can NEVER happen again. The only question is how to achieve that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since you have all waited so patiently for the last chapter, I wanted to give you another one just before the year ends. This story will be coming to an end before spring. We have still several chapters to go, but my next project is already at the back of my mind. Still, I want to make this good for you and bring this story to the end it deserves. I hope it will be worthy of your time until the very last sentence and I am glad that so many of you find as much joy in reading it as I find in writing it.  
> Have a great New Years Eve and my best wishes for all of you. My the next year be the best of your life!

The afternoon passed in silence and when they returned home, Scott just grinned, clearly relieved to see Peter human again. The Alpha nuzzled into Lydia's neck in gratitude, making the girl laugh. Erica and Boyd were home for dinner, and while Erica just hugged him briefly and Boyd only touched his shoulder, the feeling of comfort Peter drew from their proximity nearly made him sway. Aiden and Ethan acted very much the same, simply running their hands over his chest and back when they passed him by.

When Danny entered the kitchen where Mrs. McCall was currently preparing dinner, the pack always gravitated towards her naturally since she was like a substitute mother for all of them, Isaac and Stiles were right behind him. The incubus stalked towards Peter, and though the werewolf's instinct was to retreat, he held his ground. There was no love lost between him and Danny since their first clash. The incubus had never given him permission to touch, and Peter hadn't risked trying. He was used to riling people up, but even he understood strict boundaries and respected them when a terrifying demon was in the game. Now the incubus reached for his hand, stopped short of lacing their fingers and looked at Peter. The werewolf gazed into warm, brown eyes and closed the last distance, inhaling deeply when Danny kissed his cheek.

Isaac was a little more tactile than the rest. The life of every teenager in this house had improved after receiving the bite. Mostly because Stiles and Scott had taken them under their wing. Though that had not been Peter's doing, they all felt grateful for the transformation he had brought them. But the curly-haired boy had gained the most. He wrapped his arm around the alpha, burying his face in the older man's neck, until Peter hugged him close. Allison just smiled and gently touched his arm before pulling Isaac into an embrace between her and Scott, the moment Isaac let go of Peter. Stiles was the last one standing, looking at the wolf one who had turned nearly his entire pack, ordering quietly, "Peter, a word please."

Unsure where this was going – Stiles had to forgive him when Lydia was okay with him, right? – Peter joined the head of the family, entering the one room that had been forbidden for him ever since coming here. He hesitated at the door, only entered when Stiles gestured him to do so from his position by the window. Staying closer to the door than to the boy, Peter looked at Stiles, aware of how silly it was to fear a mere human. His breath caught in his throat when Stiles turned his head from looking at their garden and looked him straight in the eyes.

Blue-grey eyes should have met brown ones with a lace of honey, yet instead flaming golden eyes stared back at him. Peter's breath caught in his throat when he realized the meaning of this. Stiles' eyes indicated that he was more than a werewolf; more powerful and far more dangerous. The werewolf could not stop the whine in his throat when the Don of the Stilinski family looked at him. Stiles didn't even do anything, he just looked at Peter with single-minded focus and that was nearly enough to send Peter to his knees.

His distress however had summoned his Alpha and after a perceived eternity under Stiles gaze, Scott stepped in front of him, breaking the connection. The teenager's words were soft but not afraid – shouldn't he be afraid when confronted with so much power – gently pressing, "Is this really necessary? Lydia forgave him, you know that, Stiles. Please, don't hurt him further."

Peter nearly shivered, instinctively seeking refuge behind his Alpha when he heard the all-encompassing words of Stiles welling up in his mind, "It is, and you know it. There is but one second chance with us, Scott. I know how much you all care for him but were he anybody else I would have killed him for what he had done to Lydia. He's alive. For you, and Isaac, for Erica and Boyd, but you have to step aside now and let me deal with this. There is no other way."

In a world where strength and determination were the measurements everybody was judged by, Peter watched the two leaders of this family facing each other and couldn't suppress a shiver when Scott stepped aside. For the first time the werewolf realized how Stiles Stilinski was able to keep the position of a crime-lord even at his young age. That he had to be the one to make the hard choices, because Scott McCall might be a true Alpha, but his heart was too pure to do what was necessary to survive in the world they were living in. The werewolf Alpha was the heart of this family while the human Alpha was the head of it. Together they were an unstoppable force and Peter now had nobody to defend him any longer, because they were face to face once again.

Considering himself alone, the werewolf was surprised to feel a warm and steady hand on his back. Not daring to turn around he took a breath and realized that Scott had not left him as he had assumed. His Alpha had just stopped defending him against – as Peter had to give Stiles – a justified intervention. Scott had his back and once again Peter felt humbled by the knowledge that somebody was willing to support him, despite knowing that he had done wrong.

He barely kept in a shiver when Stiles spoke up again. "Peter." Returning his attention to the head of the family, the werewolf once again swayed at his feet at the power Stiles was extruding. His eyes were burning a blinding gold and though nothing happened the wolf could feel the power building around him. Scott had to feel it as well, but the heart rate of his Alpha did not even elevate. Still, the longer he stood there, the thicker the air in the room became and the harder it was for him to draw a deep breath. When he felt like breaking down to his knees he forced out a desperate, "What?"

The predatory smile Stiles showed him – did humans really have that many teeth – was unnerving but nothing compared to the words that seem to register only in his mind. "If any pack-member comes to harm by your hand, and I won't care if it happens by accident or not, I will destroy you. Not shoot you or beat you or tear you apart. I will destroy you and I will relish watching you shatter."

No longer able to keep himself from trembling, Peter wrapped his arms around his chest as if holding himself together. How he was still standing was beyond him, maybe Scott's silent support was helping, but right now he felt like standing in the eye of the storm, seconds away from being hit by its force.

But nothing happened until Stiles enforced his command with a powerful, "Do you understand?" That pulled the rug from beneath Peter's feet, sending him crashing to the floor, holding his head together with both hands because the strength that had pushed the question into his mind was overwhelming.

He was shouting because he couldn't not even hear himself thinking over his own thundering heartbeat, "Yes, yes I understand! Please, stop it. I am sorry! PLEASE!"

He barely had time to lift his head in time to see Stiles blink once, his eyes going from blazing gold to warm brown before Peter fled the office.

~ * ~

When the door slammed shut behind him, Scott folded his arms over his chest, looking at his best friend scolding. "Was that really necessary?"

Sagging against the window – doing magic always took a lot out of him, at least if he could not draw energy from the pack or the earth under him – Stiles drooping his head, answering softly, "You know it was, Scott. Peter literally was raised by a pack of wolves. The rules in the Hale-pack are that of the wild so Peter's wolf instinctively respects only one thing: power."

"Peter is not a wolf! He is a sentient human being," Scott contradicted Stiles.

"But his sentient human side was not attempting to use Lydia's neck as a chew-bone. That was an entirely instinctual response to what happened with the vampires. And while I love you, Scotty, as much as I love every single member of our pack, I have to tell you that you are not fearsome. At least not to the members of this family. Can you really see a single one of our wolves being so afraid of you that he will rather cower in fear than angering you?"

Scandalized, Scott shook his head, "Of course not. What kind of Alpha would I be if my pack was afraid of me?"

Approaching his best friend, putting his hands on Scott's shoulders, Stiles nodded. "Exactly. Our wolves follow you out of love, because they know that you would move heaven and earth for every single one of them. I, on the other hand, can be the type of Alpha to be feared. An Alpha like the one Peter's wolf is used to. An Alpha who can help him maintain control even when his every instinct is telling him to attack."

"That's not the right way." Scott whispered, sagging.

Pulling his best friend closer so that Scott's head sat against Stiles' chest, the teenager whispered while caressing his best friend's neck. "I know, Scotty. But Peter has not been with us long enough to be able to make your love for him his anchor. He needs our support until he manages; and I have all but provided this help tonight. And you know that I had to because there is no way for me to let him live when he injures another pack-member. You understand that, right?"

Inhaling Stiles' thunder-storm scent, something that overwhelmed his best friend's natural fragrance every time Stiles did magic, Scott nodded reluctantly but still stated. "I still don't like it."

"I know. But until we can find another way this will have to do. You know how little I like to threaten our pack with my magic. It's supposed to be something that protects us, not something to be feared."

After drawing comfort from his best friend for some time Scott straightened again. Yes, he did understand that sometimes there had to be hard and fast choices, choices he knew himself to be incapable of. Still, he didn't have to like them. He had known Stiles since kindergarten. Hell, Scott had spent more of his time between the age of six and sixteen with the Stilinskis, than with his own mother. He had not understood their way of living at the beginning but he had picked up on it. He had always known Stiles to be a good person at heart, but had come to realise that in his world, sometimes even good people had to make bad choices. He knew that he could never be the person to pull the trigger. He would catch a bullet for the people he loved but Stiles was the one to eliminate the shooter. Together they worked and all they had to do was to accept that they were different, but for this family necessary, each in their own way.

~ * ~

Peter had fled to his room as soon as he had left the office. He had not been able to face the pack, too terrified about what had happened and still conditioned not to show any weakness. To his surprise it was Danny who knocked on his door not ten minutes later, offering a plate of soup and a fresh roll. Peter thought about straightening out of his crouch below the window where his wolf had prompted him to hide, because it was the place closest to the exit and a heating module ran through the floor right under it, but decided it was not worth the effort. The incubus would mock him anyway, better to provide a smaller target, even when the attack came in words and not in blows.

When Danny didn't say anything, but merely toyed with the napkin he had brought along, Peter asked aggressively, "Aren't you going to elaborate on me being brought so low?" He was well aware that the incubus did not smell of malicious joy. He always extruded a small level of pheromones, even when he didn't want to, but still Peter thought that he smelled concern. That didn't even make sense, what was he to this demon?

"Do you really think that that's how our pack works? That when one gets a dressing down us others rub our hands in glee?" The demon asked, shaking his head as if disappointed. "You are no longer in the Hale-pack where everybody fends for himself."

"No, I am in a pack with two Alphas who are strong enough to bring every single one of us to our knees." Peter snapped, relieved at his own annoyance because anger was so much easier to manage than fear. Yet still, his wolf refused to let him rise. "I know that Scott's a good Alpha and that he is powerful, but he clearly has nothing on Stiles. This … mage … could tear each and every one of us apart."

Tilting his head in agreement, offering the soup that finally brought Peter to the edge of the bed, Danny reminded him, "And yet, here you are, frightened but clearly unharmed. Tell me, the next time you lose yourself to your instincts, what will happen?"

"I will …," but then Peter closed his mouth, taking a spoon full of soup and a bite of bread to buy himself some time before he answered. The truth was, he really didn't know. Had he still been transformed he would have rolled over for Stiles, everything to show his submission to his Alpha. The human mage had proven himself strong and capable, a far greater threat to Peter's well-being than Scott could ever be. After a few more bites he admitted, "I would think of Stiles."

Smiling Danny rose and gently touched Peter's neck, a bland innuendo that happened by instinct, not really meant as an attempt of seduction. "Exactly. And I think it is safe to assume that you will be aware that hurting a pack-member is not something Stiles would consider appropriate behaviour." And with a wink the incubus left.

~ * ~

"What did you do?" Lydia inquired when Stiles and Scott had finally claimed their place at the dining table.

When the Alphas had emerged from Stiles' office, they had helped with setting the table before everybody claimed a seat. Danny had volunteered to bring some food to Peter, since nobody thought him ready to join them again. When Ethan asked why he was so eager to help a wolf he had not even particularly liked a few days ago, Danny grinned, "Because I assume that he will feel better when he knows that I can't smell his fear. Everybody would be unsettled with Stiles' magic directed at him."

And that had brought on Lydia's question. Calmly Stiles informed her, "Showing him how much power I can hold."

Not liking the detached and superior behaviour, Melissa asked, "Since when is fear an acceptable instrument to rule this family?" She had known about the family business since her son had started coming into this house. And while she didn't agree with the methods she had always made it her mission to support her kids no matter what. Especially after Claudia and then John had died. Yet, some things had to be questioned.

Surprisingly it was Derek who answered. "Because a wolf needs an anchor. Many bad things have happened in my uncle's life and our pack was never a particularly caring one. At least not when it came to the emotional well-being of its members. When Peter saw Lydia getting hurt his worst fears surfaced. He had lost his fiancé and unborn child in the fire five years ago, and seeing the woman he now come to care about getting hurt drove him out of his mind."

Melissa merely raised her eyebrows, prompting Derek to continue. "To stay in control of our wolves we need a strong emotion to focus on. Another emotion than rage because that's what makes our animal side appear."

Looking at Stiles, Derek smiled briefly before carrying on. "Most werewolves say that it is a person they focus upon but that's not true."

Despite the mumbled protests, he went on. "The truth is it's the emotion we associate with the person that helps us to overrule the rage. For a very long time my anchor was anger, mostly at myself. But ever since coming here, it is affection, safety and happiness, like I assume it is for most wolves in this house."

Shaking his head sadly, Derek searched Melissa's eyes. "Peter hasn't come that far. He needs a strong feeling to keep his wolf under control and Stiles has provided it. It might not be the ideal solution but it is, for sure, the safest one. There are very few feelings in this world as strong as fear and until my uncle learns to trust this pack, fear will provide a suitable anchor to keep his wolf at bay."

"I don't like it." Lydia mumbled and surprisingly Aiden nodded. They looked at each other and without a word both decided to go to Peter tonight, not wanting him to sleep alone when induced fear was now his ruling emotion.

Sighing tiredly, Stiles looked up from his plate. "Me neither, Lyds, and if you have a better idea I am all ears. But I can't risk having Peter injuring another one of you. You all know what I will have to do if that happens. He is pack now, so killing him is simply not an option."

Discomforted, the pack nodded their agreement. Nobody liked to have a pack-member fearing one of their Alphas. Still it was a hundred times better than having to kill one when bad came to worst. That they could all agree upon.

~ * ~


	19. A missing pack-member

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's stay with the Hales for a little while longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Memprime and Wecantgiggleatacrimescene I have another chapter for you so fast into the new year ;).

Peter felt unnerved by his fear towards Stiles' magic. Honestly, the werewolf wasn't all too sure about what the Alpha had done, since the boy had not muttered a single word when forcing him to his knees. Naturally, as Talia's enforcer, Peter knew about magic. But somehow the Hale-pack had missed picking up on Stiles. He seemed to be an impressive mage if he could conjure power that was simply meant to bring someone to his knees. He had not even hurt Peter so there really was no reason for him to be unsettled. This pack was soft, caring but as he had just learned, definitely not weak. Peter couldn't even fathom what that meant for his future. For now his wolf was cowering with his tail between his legs, desperate to get on Stiles' good side, no, anxious not to get on Stiles bad side ever again.

When there was a knock on the door, Peter sighed. He really should have known that they would not leave him be. Still he couldn't hold back a snarl when Aiden entered wearing nothing but his sleeping clothes, carrying his blanket and a pillow.

Baring his teeth Peter hissed, "I don't need a baby-sitter."

Spreading the blanket over the bed beside Peter's, Aiden crawled in, shrugging. "Tough luck. Lydia decided we would sleep here, so deal with it."

Suspicious, Peter asked, "Why are you lying?"

Sighing as if this was a chore, Aiden admitted, "Lydia was not the only one who made that decision. Now shut up and go to sleep!"

Growling a little before giving in to the inevitable, Peter wrapped himself in his blanket, facing away from Aiden. It was strange to have another man in his bed, especially since Lydia apparently was not ready to join them. Still Peter felt comforted by Aiden's proximity. Of all the people in this pack, he felt the closest relationship to this twin. He was egoistic, rude when he could get away with it, cruel when it served his purpose. Still, he adored Lydia and was a well-integrated member of this pack. That left Peter hoping that he had a chance to become a member of the Stilinski-McCall pack as well. He barely registered Lydia joining them, only turned around to breathe in her comforting scent before drifting off again.

~ * ~

Midnight had passed and Stiles was still awake. Derek knew from the forced evenness of his breathing and his purposefully still form, that sleep had eluded him so far. Stiles was never quiet, not even in his sleep. He mumbled through his dreams, shifted in the bed, snuggled into Derek's arms or twisted away when he was too hot. But tonight there was nothing. Stiles lay stock still as if he could fool his lover into believing that he was alright. Sighing tiredly, Derek finally asked the question that seemed to keep Stiles awake. "Why did you scare him?"

Turning around, realizing that his attempts to delude a werewolf had been foolish Stiles looked at Derek. "If you don't believe that I made the right decision, why did you back me up during dinner?"

Resting his head on his elbow, allowing the moonlight to shine upon his face, Derek explained, "You made a choice. That choice will help Peter to control his wolf. But I know you, Stiles, you find other ways. You were always understanding and supportive, never resorting to blunt force. And clearly you are worried because you did just that, so tell me why."

Hiding his face, relieved that the moon was at his back, the Don of the Stilinski crime-family whispered, "Because I am afraid, and I don't know what else to do."

Reaching for Stiles' hand, bringing it to his face, kissing the palm, Derek asked, "What are you afraid of?"

Swallowing around his constricting throat, because he felt undeserving of the tender gesture, Stiles pulled his hand back and turned away from Derek. Hugging his pillow he admitted after a while, "If Peter goes off the deep end, I have really no clue how to deal with him. When I kill him, I will break my wolves' hearts. Yours included. If I let him live I prove that I don't have the strength to make the hard choices necessary to lead a family. Either way I'm screwed."

"Stiles? Stiles, please look at me." Derek prompted quietly, successfully turning the teenager in his arms on the second attempt. Stiles was always so strong, so self-assured. Sometimes the werewolf forgot how young the boy actually was, and that despite having been prepared for this life by his parents, there were still so many things he did not know. With this current problem however, Derek was able to help. Maybe because he saw this pack clearer than Stiles ever could, probably because he was aware better that its Alpha, where its true strength lay.

Cupping the teenager's cheek tenderly, Derek prompted him to look up and reminded him, "You have seven wolves at your disposal and while none of us know exactly what to do with Peter should he hurt one of us again, we all know that we don't want to let that happen. Sure, he could attack Lydia or Melissa or even you, but now that we are prepared for this possibility we can take precautions against it. We can protect all of you and him as well. All you need is a little faith. Have faith that your pack knows how to deal with a situation such as this, now that they are aware of it."

Snuggling into the caress, Stiles asked in a whisper, "How can you know my pack better than me?"

Pulling his lover close, enjoying how easily Stiles gave in, Derek chuckled. "Because I have been in a pack where this might have been a major problem: one member going off the deep end and my mother would have been forced to punish or even kill him. But in this pack we work together, to make sure that something like what had happened to Lydia never happens again."

"Derek?"

"Yes?"

"I …," hesitant Stiles interrupted himself, because he was well aware that what he wanted to say was not appropriate, maybe not even desired. "Thank you. For … just … for being here I guess."

Kissing his lover's forehead Derek whispered, "There is no place on earth where I would rather be. And now sleep. You have wasted enough of this night to your worries."

~ * ~

Agent McCall needed a month to build up new evidence against the Stilinski family and when he finally approached their doorstep with a search warrant he came face to face with his former wife. Melissa calmly took the paper from his hands and only after checking with Stiles, did she bade him to enter. The pack had expected his visit for the last five days so they had no qualms about him being there. Still, Stiles ordered Scott to wrap up his current negotiation with a new branch of dealers as quickly as possible. The Alpha and Ethan would be a suitable support for Scott's mother. That and Melissa had a night-shift so she really needed to sleep for a few hours and not deal with grumpy agents going through their stuff.

Just to be on the safe side, Stiles asked Derek to return home as well. The Don of the Stilinski family felt more comfortable having three people to deal with the FBI agents. Obediently Derek saved the work he had only just begun and checked out one of the company's cars. Stiles' car was reserved for the human leader of the family since it was the only one armoured. The other vehicles could be borrowed for a few hours, when no personal deliveries were made. He cursed when he got a flat tire out of the blue, barely at the edge of the industrial quarter of Beacon Hills. When he left the car to look at the damage he did not even notice that the tire had been hit by a small arrow from a crossbow since a piercing pain at his side had him stumble and lose consciousness before he fully registered what was happening.

~ * ~

"All I say is that you have options, Scott!" Agent McCall was supervising his team taking apart the Stilinski home. They were very careful because Scott and Ethan had snarled at them right at the beginning that they would sue the Bureau for every single item they broke during their pestering search. This was the home of a business owner and Stiles would hear about this. This was nothing but harassment because Stiles was so young. Melissa was currently following the agents with Ethan as her protection, leaving the two men to have a little father-son-bonding time.

Glaring at his father angrily, Scott asked, "Like what? Like joining the Bureau like you? Leaving behind the people I love in favour of a meagre pay-check and the knowledge that I 'serve the public'? Be serious, dad. If I were one for public services, I would become a nurse like mum."

Frustrated, his father sighed. "Not everything is about money. I am aware that … ahm … associating yourself with the Stilinski family allows you a comfortable life but there are other ways. You could go to college, even to the university. You could become a doctor. You are a smart boy, Scott."

"You think I am here because of the money?" Scott took half a step back, looking at his father as if he really didn't know him. Something that was sad but true. Shaking his head, the Alpha reined in his anger. This was bigger than the issues he had with his father. This was about family. With a shrug the boy admitted quietly, "You know, maybe it even was about the money in the beginning. There was a time when my asthma was so bad, that I could barely make it through the day without my best friend grounding me, helping me to breathe. When my medical bills stacked up and mum didn't know which way to turn because more than two shifts a day simply were not possible over an extended period of time. During these dire times, for more than three years, Stiles held my hand. He promised me that everything would be alright, while Claudia and John did the same for mum.

"The Stilinskis offered a payment plan even before they offered the money because they knew mum would never take a gift like that. She worked hard to pay it back, but no longer unreasonably so. But when Claudia died, John couldn't care less about the money. He simply left it in a bank account, an account Stiles gave to me on my eighteenth birthday. All John cared about was his son. Because Stiles was the one who couldn't breathe properly since he had severe panic attacks after his mum's death. Then I was the one who helped him when he couldn't make it through the day. John didn't know where to turn or whom to trust. Mum was there to help them. This family might have started out of necessity, but we came together by choice and neither mum nor I regret a single step of our way. So you know what dad, keep your 'options' to yourself, because as far as I am concerned I am exactly where I'm meant to be!"

Having heard the last part of their conversation, Melissa came downstairs and placed a hand on Scott's shoulder, to show her agreement with his words. Coldly, she looked at her ex-husband. "Your goons are done, Rafael. I want you to call them back and leave our house. I have a night-shift in five hours, and I want to take a nap."

Glaring angrily at his son and former wife, Agent McCall asked, "Why do you even bother going to the hospital? Since your son provides such a splendid life for the both of you by doing the dirty work for a petty child who thinks he owns the world. Stiles Stilinski will drag you both down with him. You have to forgive me that I simply cannot stand by and watch this happening."

Scott's sub vocal growl was barely audible, but he couldn't hold himself in check any longer at his father badmouthing his best friend. Yet Melissa's hand on his shoulder, held him down, anchored him for the time being and he leaned into his mother so he would not shift by accident. He didn't care very much for his father's opinion, or so he told himself repeatedly, but he would not have him insult the only person in the world who had always been there for him.

Yet before he could defend Stiles, his mother spoke. "I enjoy working at the hospital. I am doing good there, just like the rest of this family with their respective jobs. I am well aware that you might never understand that, Rafael, but still, you have no choice but to accept it. Now leave. You have already overstayed your welcome."

"There is no time-restriction for the execution of a warrant!"

Smiling sweetly, Melissa revealed, "I'm aware, but your man have already collected every computer and every folder to be found within these walls. So unless you want to literally go through our dirty laundry, I suggest you let us be!"

Looking at his former wife sadly, Rafael McCall mumbled quietly, "We are doing good as well and whatever we will find on these machines will be used against this family, and all of their associates, in a court of law. You can't keep up this charade indefinitely. Be careful."

Then they had seen all the agents out. Luckily the paper-work for their insurances and tax-sheets in this house were only copies; they would have a lot of documents to dig through with no evidence that the house was linked to a crime organization in any way. Still, despite knowing that, despite trusting Danny and Stiles explicitly when they had said that nothing bad would come from this search, Scott wrapped his arms around his chest, hugging himself, feeling uneasy.

His mother pulled him into a comforting hug, questioning his obvious unease, "What is it?"

"I don't know, mum." Scott admitted. "Something is not right."

Confused, he turned around to look at his mother and asked, "Why would dad lie about what will happen if incriminating data was found in our documents?"

~ * ~

After phoning Stiles and telling him what had happened, the Alpha brushed off the events and returned to work. In the evening the pack came together, preparing dinner. After they had all claimed their places, Stiles looked around, "Isn't Derek going to join us?"

Confused Scott looked at his best friend, "I thought he stayed at the office."

Feeling dread spreading in his stomach, Stiles slowly turned towards Scott. "I sent him home as soon as your mother called."

For a heartbeat Stiles and Scott could only look at each other, fear written all over their faces. Every last member of the pack paled, admitting to one another that they hadn't seen Derek since breakfast. Slowly, as if he was carrying the burden of the world, Stiles rose from the table and approached the hallway, reaching for one of the studs. When fastening the earring he activated it instantly. "Derek? Are you there?"

He slowly returned to the dining room and tried again to reach his lover, and again after that. Every last member of the pack reached for their communication devices, their tablets, mobile phones, Allison even picked up the landline to call the office. But none of them could reach their missing pack-member. Peter was snarling at Stiles, asking why he had sent his nephew away when Scott and Ethan had already been on their way, but the teenager did bother with an answer.

Stiles felt numb to everything that was going on around him. His vision swam, shifted, and he turned around to look at noises he could not comprehend. Yet no matter how hard he tried his brain refused to work. Helplessly he clutched onto something right in front of him, neither knowing nor understanding what was happening. All he knew was the overwhelming feeling that the person that mattered the most to him was missing and Stiles did not know how to deal with the situation.

Scott had his hands full with a pack who suddenly realized that one of its members was missing. He tried to calm his friends, to talk to them, assure them that they would find Derek. But it was like standing in the eye of the hurricane, everything around him was twisting and turning but nothing he could do nothing to stop the torrent. He ended his fruitless attempts when Allison called his name. Looking at his girlfriend, Scott realized that Stiles was clutching her forearm, fingers white with pressure that surely would leave some nasty marks. But the face of his friend pushed all concerns for Allison out of Scott's mind. Stiles was shivering, breath going in huge gasps like he was suffocating. He was swaying on his feet, his eyes were unfocused.

Realizing that he had to do something, Scott approached his best friend. Stiles had not had a panic attack this strong since his father's funeral. Yet whatever Scott said or did, Stiles would not focus. All he did was mumbling Derek's name when he had a few precious breaths to spare. The Alpha nearly snarled when suddenly a small arm pushed him aside. Unimpressed by the vicious reaction, Lydia demanded, "Get the wolves out of here."

Shaking his head stubbornly, concentrating only on Stiles, he received a slap right in the face from Stiles' most trusted advisor. Yet when he let his eyes glow red in warning, Lydia didn't back down. Determined she pointed out, "Scott, Stiles is drawing energy from everybody in the room. He is panicking and is trying to gather all power available. He's not in his right mind and we can't predict what he will happen when he overloads. Get the wolves away! Having all of you in the same room is only making it worse!"

Concentrating, Scott realized that Lydia was right. He could feel the pull, the need to be close to Stiles but when he questioned the motive, he realized that the feeling was not of his own making. So Scott did the only thing he could by ordering his pack out of the house. They were running over the lawn, approaching the back-wall but before they could jump it, Peter turned around.

"I'm not leaving."

"Didn't you hear what Lydia had just said? Stiles is draining our energy. But we will need it for finding Derek and nobody can say what he will do when he gathers too much!" Scott reached for the wolf to get him to safety.

Still, Peter remained stubborn, shaking his head. "I will not leave. Stiles will need us as soon as he gets himself under control again."

It was not as if Peter was not verbalizing what every last one of them was thinking. So reluctantly Scott relented. "Alright, but we will stay here, as far away as possible." He could feel the relief of his pack, when they started to pace the outer wall, eyes fixed on their home, listening to what was going on inside.

~ * ~


	20. Tapping into Resources

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles is willing to use all sources available to find Derek.

As soon as the wolves were gone, Allison and Lydia tried to talk Stiles down, but their friend seemed out of reach, even for them. The girls touched him, his hands, his face. They even tried to slap him, but all Stiles managed was a sharp intake of breath.  He continued to alternate between hyperventilating and suffocating when he was unable to draw air into his lungs. The girls pushed him out of the dining room, into the cold snow, rubbing it over his hands and putting it on his nape, but Stiles didn't even seem to notice. Looking at each other in fear and confusion, Lydia retorted to one, last, desperate measure: she kissed Stiles.

Her lips lay cold and reluctant on her friend's but after a few seconds she felt Stiles react. Looking up she gazed into confused, but aware eyes. Puzzled, Stiles looked from Allison, who was still rubbing his back, to Lydia. The tip of his finger was brushing over his lips. The teenager tilted his head to the side. "You kissed me."

"Well, I …," Lydia tried to come up with an explanation, but Allison beat her to it. "Apparently, shoving snow down your shirt is less of a shock to your system than Lydia kissing you. You were having a panic attack, Stiles."

"Why would I …," the teenager asked before reality caught up with him. His eyes got huge and a blinding fire started to burn in them. He did not reach for his ear-stud again, aware that it was no use, since Derek had not responded the first few times he had tried to call him. Unable to deal with the overwhelming pressure of this realization, Stiles buried his fingers in his short hair and curled into himself before he let out a terrifying scream. The power pouring out of him was like a shockwave making the very foundation of their house shake.

He only stopped when the wolves' started howling, mirroring his grief. Whipping around, he looked at the members of his pack who did not dare to approach him. After several deep breaths, he reached for Lydia and Allison to steady himself when he got to his feet. Quietly he ordered, "Peter, Allison, you go to Red Hood and retrace Derek's steps. You are the best trackers we have and if anybody can find a werewolf who is missing, a huntress has the best chance. Call your dad, Allison, maybe he is involved somehow and can give us a lead."

Rising to his feet, Stiles looked at the wolves who reluctantly came closer. The Alpha was unaware that his eyes were still burning, frightening half of his pack. "Scott, Ethan, Aiden, talk to our people on the streets. I want to know if anybody has heard anything. Spread the word that I am paying good money for a clue about Derek's current location, but I won't be taken advantage of. Anybody who tries to skim us will be strangled with his entrails. I have no patience for cons right now.

"Danny, put your equipment back together and comb through every last piece of surveillance footage this town has to offer. I don't care if you use traffic cameras, surveillance systems in our shops or google maps. If there is a hint of Derek in any system: find it!"

"Lydia," Stiles addressed the woman by his side. He was far calmer now, but his eyes were still blazing. "You will contact every ally we have. We have a lot of favours to call in and I have no qualms about doing just that. I don't care if it is the vampires, the wolves or a shady business-partner: if somebody out there knows something I want you to extract the information!

"Erica, Boyd, you have your boys and girls: make use of their eyes." Gesturing vaguely, Stiles offered. "Promise them a reward, a way out, I don't care. Do whatever is necessary to ensure their support."

~ * ~

When everybody had received their orders, Danny had asked Isaac to help him with his computers, only Liam and Stiles stayed behind. Looking at his desolated, human Alpha, the young teenager wanted to ask if there was anything he could do, even though he was well aware that he had very little to offer. But before he could open his mouth, he remembered what Scott had taught him. Looking at a human, who was clearly making an effort of holding everything together, Liam stepped up to him and wrapped his arms around Stiles' waist, burying his face in the older teenager's chest.

For a long moment, the boy did not even react to the gesture. But then he wrapped his arms around Liam and after a mere minute Stiles broke down. Clutching the young wolf in his arms, the human started to sob. Strong enough, but unwilling to hold him up, Liam sank to the floor next to the sofa, pulling off one of the quilts, wrapping it around Stiles and himself. The teenager sobbed desperately, drenching Liam's shirt with his tears, but the boy held him through his breakdown, offering his strength when the Alpha had none. Never before had he thought it possible that he could be the one supporting anybody, but now, with Stiles in his arms, Liam realized that pack meant that you were there for each other. That everybody could become weak, safe in the knowledge that someone would be there to catch him.

Liam could see Danny and Isaac walking down the stairs. Though the demon and the other wolf looked at him in question, he merely shook his head, pulling Stiles closer. They had a job to do so Liam would be the one to comfort. After a while Stiles pulled back, hiding his face in embarrassment. Clearly the Don of the family did not think that he was supposed to break down in front of his youngest pack-member. But Liam was determined to show that this was alright, "Are you feeling better? Did I help?"

Trying a small smile and failing miserably, Stiles nevertheless nodded. "Yes, it did. Thank you. I … how did you know?"

Shrugging, Liam rose and offered his hand. "Scott told me that pack draws comfort from touch. You might be human but you are still pack. And if it helped, I did the best I could under the circumstances. I am neither a hacker nor can I go out with the others, looking for Derek. But I can stay with you and offer comfort."

Aware of how far this boy had come over the last few weeks, Stiles gently cupped his cheek, and kissed Liam's forehead, enjoying how the pup melted into his touch, he had been deprived of physical affection for such a long time. "Yes, you can and it is helping, very much in fact. I want to go and try scrying for Derek. Will you accompany me? Your touch is grounding."

Following Stiles to his office, Liam asked, "How can I ground you? You are not a wolf."

Squeezing Liam's hand before letting go and rummaging through the cupboards under his desk, pulling out a map and a crystal on a string, Stiles tried to explain. "You are right, I am not a wolf. I am a spark. I carry magic as a part of my very being. Magic can come from many places, people, air, fire or water. It all depends on your alignment with the elements, but my power comes from the earth and all living things. That's why it is so easy for me to draw energy from all of you. You're earthbound creatures as well. We are on the same wavelength so to speak."

"And now you want to use my energy to find Derek?"

Shaking his head, Stiles gestured for Liam to sit down on the carpet in front of him. "No, I feel … I don't really know how to explain it. I feel unhinged. Like my compass is off and I hope that with your help I can align it again. But until I manage, you have to be my compass. You are a wolf, sensitive to nature. I will try to latch on to that feeling, grounding myself through it. Does that make sense to you?"

Now it was Liam's turn to shake his head, still the boy offered his hands to Stiles. "No, but it doesn't matter. What do you need me to do?"

"Concentrate on the moon."

Looking over his shoulder, Liam closed his eyes. He could feel the pull of the celestial object. It was not as strong as it would be on a full moon but it was enough to focus on. Stiles reached for his hands and for a long time, the two of them were simply sitting on the floor breathing together before the spark reached for the crystal.

~ * ~

Danny and Isaac had a harder time working together. Not because either was reluctant, they have known each other since the first year of high school, though they had travelled in different circles. Yet at the moment, Isaac could not move from the spot to help Danny in setting up his computers. He was frozen in front of the hidden compartment in their gym, starring at the small room behind a movable wall that had hidden, amongst other things, Danny's equipment from the FBI. The area behind the fake wall was barely ten square-feet and filled with computer equipment and several boxes with sensitive documents.

But Isaac was unable to see what was right in front of him. Before his mind's eye was an old stairway that went down into the cellar of his old house. He could feel his father breathing down his neck, hear the dead bastard's words as if he were standing right next to him. Whenever he had forced Isaac down there he had called him useless, had told him that he needed to be taught a lesson. Isaac expected to be shoved into the darkness and despite feeling like running and hiding, he was unable to move a muscle. His entire body was frozen in terror.

Danny, eager to go to work, was torn between shoving Isaac aside, reaching for his equipment himself and helping his terrified pack-member. Usually that wouldn't even be a problem, agony right in front of him forced Danny to sooth whatever family-member was in pain. But Stiles' own terror was nearly overwhelming him, made it hard for him to think. The burning need to find his master's companion was all-encompassing for the incubus. In the end he tampered down the connection to his master, wrapping his strong arms around Isaac from behind.

Locking away all the dread and the terror from Stiles' mind, helped Danny to concentrate on Isaac. He hugged his friend, whispered soothing words into his ear. Yet Isaac barely reacted, at least not until Danny whispered into his ear, "Isaac, sweetheart, you have to move."

This incentive seemed to register in the teenager's mind, but instead of stepping aside he started to shiver profoundly. The boy curled into himself and the unexpected gesture made it impossible for Danny to hold on to him. The teenager's hands slipped free from Isaac's chest. Whimpering, the curly haired teenager tried to protect his head, pleading desperately, "Please, please don't make me. I will be good, I promise. I won't do it again. I swear. Please, don't make me go down there. Don't lock me up again. I can be good, I swear!"

Danny cursing violently, but that made the werewolf curl into himself even more. Yet there was no way in hell that Danny could keep his opinion to himself about the vile bastard who had sired Isaac and tortured him for years. They all were well aware what kind of punishment Isaac's father had dished out prior to Isaac receiving the bite. Only then had Isaac been able to stand up for himself, fleeing his home and right into Scott's arms, he had not left them ever since and was off much better for that. He had found an occupation where his talents were appreciated and lovers who truly cared for him.

A tiny part of Danny was glad that neither Scott nor Allison were around. If they knew that Isaac was panicking there would be hell to pay. Usually they became their most fierce and were inclined to dish out serious harm when something harmed Isaac. For the person that had caused their boyfriend's flashback... The results were honestly terrifying. As well as it was that he wasn’t going to get excavated today, the disadvantage was that the two not being here meant that getting Isaac to snap out of his hallucination would take longer.

Sighing, Danny reluctantly crouched down beside the shivering werewolf, causing him to whimper. He did not particularly like on using his magic on his family, but right now he really was out of options if he didn't want to call back the Alpha or the huntress. Reaching for his demonic powers, Danny wrapped himself into an illusion, before tilting Isaac's head up, kissing him lovingly. At first the boy was reluctant, but after a few moments, he responded to the kiss, burying his hand's in now too short hair, crawling as close as possible.

Only when Danny was reasonably sure about what was at the forefront of Isaac's mind, when he started to smell delicious to the demon despite his fear, did he pull back, looking into the confused eyes of his friend. The incubus felt tender fingertips brushing over his bottom-lip, and sensed Isaac's confusion when the boy tilted his head. "Scott?"

Shaking his head, dropping the magic concealment, Danny pulled back, tugging Isaac away from the hidden compartment.

Clearly confused about what just had happened, Isaac asked, "Why did you …?"

"Because I couldn't think of another way to bring you back to the present."

Looking at the hidden door, Isaac dropped his head ashamed. "I'm sorry."

"Hey," Danny whispered, cupping the other boy's cheeks lovingly. "It's not your fault that your father was a sick bastard. Everybody would have trouble dealing with this. I should not have asked you to go in there. Do you think you could carry my equipment upstairs if I bring them to you?"

Taking a calming breath, closing his eyes for a few moments, Isaac leaned into the comfortable embrace Danny was offering. After a few moments he gathered his bearings, nodding with determination. "Yes, let's get you set up so we can find Derek. My youth might not have been pleasant - (the understatement of the century) - but Derek could be off far worse at the moment. We have to find him and fast."

Relieved that his friend was with him again and not trapped in past memories, Danny dashed into the compartment, collecting the three personal computers and six monitors on the wall of the gym, before closing and sealing the hidden door. The plugs and cables necessary to set up his equipment were under his bed in an old gym-bag. Together they would be able to get his workstation ready in less than half an hour and then Danny would look for any trace Derek might have left during his abduction.

~ * ~

In Stiles' office, Liam and he had lain out a map of Beacon Hills and the surrounding areas. But no matter how much power Stiles was mobilizing, the crystal in his hand simply swung in circles over the map, neither indicating Derek's present in one area nor another. In the end, the spark got so frustrated that he called Deaton, telling him about Derek's abduction and his attempts to find him.

Deaton hummed for a moment, before asking in his usual calm and collected voice, "Where are you at the moment."

"My office at home. Why?"

"Is it safe to assume, that you are trying to use your earth-bound powers to find another earth-bound creature while surrounded by concrete?"

"Yes, of course, where else …," Stiles started, but interrupted himself after a moment. "Are you saying that I have to go outside to connect to the earth to find Derek?"

"What I am saying, Mr. Stilinski," Deaton never worried about anybody knowing about his connection to the crime-family, despite his so called 'neutrality'. "is you might have a chance to find your partner through scrying, until the both of are in touch with the source of your magic."

"And if Derek is not somewhere out in the woods but 'surrounded by concrete' as well than I can shove my crystal." Stiles deadpanned.

"I am afraid that you will not be able to locate him by scrying, yes. Maybe more mundane methods of retrieving your lost pack-member are in order."

"What are you suggesting?"

"I understand that you have a contact in the local police force?"

Sighing tiredly, not even wanting to think where Deaton would have gotten that particular information, Stiles pondered. "I doubt that the Sheriff would help us."

"I was not talking about the Sheriff, Mr. Stilinski. But now I have to let you go, I have a cat in the corner of my office that is about to go into labour." And with that the veterinarian ended the call and had Stiles staring at the mobile in his hand.

It was Liam who pulled it from him, making a call himself, since the Don was currently chewing on his lips, clearly undecided of where to go from here. True, Stiles could rely on his pack to find his lover, but that was not the teenager's way as Liam was well aware.

"Beacon Hills Sheriff's Department, Jordan Parrish speaking, how may I help you?"

"I'm …," Liam sniffed, drawing a deep, watery breath before continuing. "It's Liam, can I … may I come to you? I have to … I don't really know what to do. I would just like to talk to somebody."

"Liam?" Concern was palpable in the deputy's voice when he spoke again. "Why are you using Stiles' phone? What's wrong?"

Looking at his Alpha who had whipped around, when Liam had started sniffing, the boy smirked before drawing another, somewhat pained sounding breath, lowering his voice to a mere whisper. "Because I don't have mine at the moment. Please, Jordan, you … can I just talk to you? I can sneak out, I …"

Breaking off, drawing another shuddering breath as if he was crying, he heard the officer assure him, "Yes, of course. Do you want me to pick you up? I … Liam what is wrong?"

"No!" Liam nearly shouted, before lowering his voice into a frightened whisper again. "I will sneak out, I will come to you," before hanging up, wiping fake tears out of his eyes, handing his mobile back to Stiles with a triumphant grin.

"I'm impressed. You're a much better actor than I have ever given you credit for." Stiles stated, looking at his youngest pack-member in amazement.

Shrugging, Liam grinned, "It was necessary with Mark and …" Shoving away unpleasant memories, the young teenager looked up again to continue their discussion about the current crisis, but found Stiles right in his personal space, caressing his cheek tenderly before pulling Liam close.

Stiles' voice was quiet but unexpectedly vicious when he stated, "I so regret having shot that bastard. For what he had done to you and your sister he deserved a long and painful torture."

"You shot him in the stomach," Liam reminded him. "That is a very agonizing death, or so Danny told me."

"Not enough for what he had done." Stiles decided quietly, and instead of being frightened by the Alpha's anger as he might have been with Mark, Liam revelled in it, because he knew that Stiles was angry on it on his behalf.

~ * ~


	21. Child abuse?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's see what Liam can come up with to ensure Derek get's the help he needs. Not that he is the only one to help. There is another woman we have seen far too little of, despite her being a brilliant character. And no she is not screaming, at least not yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite technical difficulties, Wecantgiggleatacrimescene managed to finish this chapter and send it to me so that I can post it on time. As always, many thanks to Memprime as well who allows me to use her as a sounding board and helps me with my ideas. To the both of you: despite the constant change of beta for the first part, I am really glad that the two of you are sticking with me. With your help, this story is so much better!

After a few moments, Stiles pulled back and playfully shook Liam's shoulder. "What did you think colouring me abusive? I know that we have to speak to Jordan, but we could have come up with a way that didn't incriminate me!"

Proud of his fast thinking, Liam reminded Stiles, "First of all, I did not even hint about you hurting me. All I did was breath wetly and fake tears. Second, nobody can prove anything, without me actually being abused and at the rate I am healing they would have a hard time doing that, even when Scott's training is a little rough. We need to talk to Jordan in private. And since I'm not legal, nobody is allowed to record my conversations.

Stiles would have laughed were the situation not so dire. "I can't let you go alone, you know that."

"I don't have to. Danny just finished setting up his equipment and Lydia is here as well. Between you and Isaac I have sufficient protection." Liam added quietly, "You know we can't wait. Between rivalling packs and crime families, who knows what is happening to Derek right now. I am a member of this pack. Now let me do my part in Derek's rescue."

Nodding, aware that hesitation would get them nowhere, Stiles ordered Liam to change and took his own advice. After having summoned Isaac, the human Alpha changed into leather-trousers and a vest under his hoodie. Liam wore comfortable, but slightly too thin clothes and Isaac was in jeans and a leather-jacket. The wolves needed less protection than their leader but still they packed a leather jacket for Liam as well, Derek's belated Christmas present for the boy. Nobody had said anything about it, since everybody had managed to sneak one present or another into Liam's room the day after Christmas.

~ * ~

Stiles parked his jeep at a distance from the sheriff's office. Since it was late, there was little background noise so Isaac would be able to hear what was going on inside if he concentrated hard enough. Liam was wearing his earring and they had agreed to stay connected for now. It made for a lot of white noise but since nobody was shouting it was comforting for the wolves to hear every member of the pack.

Exiting the car, Liam turned towards Stiles one last time before approaching the station. "Hit me." He demanded.

Thunderstruck, Stiles looked at the young teenager. "Excuse me?"

"Stiles, we don't have time for this. Hit me so that my lip splits or my nose bleeds. It will make me wanting to speak to Jordan in private much more believable!"

"Are you crazy?" Stiles asked, "They can't arrest me for dealing and now you want me convicted for child abuse?"

Rolling his eyes, Liam folded his arms, looking at his Alpha demanding. "They can't convict you for anything without proof. I only need to get Jordan into the interrogation room. Then I can heal and nobody will ever be the wiser."

Unbelieving Stiles looked at Isaac, but his enforcer only shrugged, "It will speed things up considerably."

"You want me to hit a member of our pack?"

"Wouldn't be the first time, won't be the last. We fight. Don't act as if it's uncommon for you to hit one of us. At least you are not using a rowan-wood bat this time."

"That's for training!" Stiles nearly shouted, remembering the last second to lower his voice.

"And this is for Derek, so stop fussing and hit me!" Liam demanded, looking at Stiles determinedly.

Clearly not liking this one bit, Stiles still gave in and hit Liam right in the face. The young boy hissed and clenched his fists, lowering his face, breathing heavily.

"Liam, are you …?" The Alpha asked, approaching the pack-member he had just violated. Remorse and pain was apparent in his voice, but the boy only shook his head. "It's hard to keep it from healing, the wound is too superficial, it will be gone in a few seconds if I don't concentrate now."

When he looked up after a moment, a few drops of blood were running down his chin. When Isaac brushed them away, leaving a tiny smear of red on the boy's chin, the teenager nodded, urging Liam towards the station. "Make it quick, the moment you lose your concentration the wound will heal."

Watching Liam go, Stiles folded his arms defensively over his chest, looking down before concentrating on the boy. "I really didn't like doing that."

Claiming a place beside his Alpha, aligning their bodies, Isaac admitted. "Neither did I, but Liam is right, we need to work fast in this. Derek could be tortured right now and we have no way of knowing or helping him."

~ * ~

Derek, in fact, was not tortured. He woke up to a massive headache but that was it. He needed but a few seconds to realize that he was neither at home nor at the company. Not that he would ever fall asleep there. Well close to never. He had only woken in the office once or twice when he had pulled an all-nighter after New Year.

Right now however, he was lying on a cold stone-floor with a bunch of people surrounding him. He was tied by his hands and feet and the only thing working to his advantage was that he had not been gagged. Otherwise he might not have been able to keep his wolf in check who nearly lost it at the idea of being bound, and worst of all, god knows how far away from Stiles without an immediate way to get back.

Yet being surrounded by people who smelled cold, afraid and desperate was not the right environment to let his wolf show, so he calmed himself as much as possible and tried to touch his earring. He noticed quickly that with his dress-shirt and tie he was unable to get any skin to skin contact to activate the magic. Nearly panicking he twisted on the floor and tug on his ropes, realizing that they were giving if he only pulled hard enough.

But before he could free himself, woman with cheap clothes and tear-stains on her face approached him and whispered in broken English, "Hush … guards listening. Hurt you if you make trouble." She had a thick, Spanish accent and clearly was not from around there, so Derek forced his panic down, concentrating on her fear and desperation, asking composed as to not frighten her further. "What's your name? What are you doing here?"

But before the woman could answer, a man called for her sharply, making her flinch and retreat to the wall. Derek tried to turn around and defend her, but the guy was already approaching him, hissing at him in a barely comprehensible dialect. "Shut up! No causing trouble. Us nearly free!"

'Human trafficking' was the first thing that shot through Derek's head at these words. Yet that did not really make sense, because Beacon Hills was in the middle of California. Were they in a warehouse close to the Mexican border he would have understood, but here? No need to get immigrants that far into the country. And even if these people were held by goons who traded in people, why would they need him?

~ * ~

"Damn it, Stiles, settle down!" Isaac forced out between clenched teeth. He had watched his Alpha pacing ever since Liam had entered the Sheriff's station and slowly the twitchy movement was grating on his nerves. When Stiles just ignored him, Isaac caught the teenager, pulling him close, Stiles' back to his front. For a moment Stiles fought him, but when Isaac whispered into his ear, "Everything is going to be alright. They are in one of the interrogation rooms. Liam is absolutely safe." The human slowly calmed down, sagging against Isaac.

Leaning against his enforcer, Stiles whispered, "I don't know what to do. Usually we know the parameters of a crisis, but in this we are flying blind. I can't …" In a small voice, clearly ashamed to admit it, Stiles repeated nearly inaudible, "I don't know what to do."

Hugging his friend closer, Isaac told him, "You need to have faith in us. We are a strong pack; you know that. We WILL find Derek, there is no other outcome is acceptable. All we need is time to catch his scent."

Though Stiles nodded, Isaac didn't let go, because he could smell that his Alpha was still upset and nervous. He had to give a little when Stiles' phone rang. Surprised, the two of them noticed that the Company was calling.

"Mr. Stilinski, you have to come to the office." Meredith voice was agitated, nearly frantic.

"Why? What is it, Meredith? Why are you even in, it's nearly ten p.m."

Yet, his secretary only repeated herself, "You have to come in. I needed to finish the paperwork for the Shawman contract and someone called."

Looking at each other in confusion, both Isaac and Stiles were well aware that the contract with a new supplier was not due before next week the owner of the Red Hood Trading Company relented nevertheless. "Alright, Meredith. We will be there in twenty."

Stiles had learned not to doubt the woman in his life and though Meredith sometimes was a little off-centre, she had never demanded anything of him that had not turned out to be important for either him or his family. Not bothering with the phone since Liam didn't have one, he concentrated the open connection on the pup. "Liam, get out of there. We are needed at Red Hood."

~ * ~

Instantly, Liam rose from his chair and approached the door. Jordan held him back, "Where do you think you are going?"

"Stiles is calling for me. Something happened at the Company."

"Liam!" Jordan reached for the boy, turning him around. But the young teenager had no patience for the other thrall. True, he had come to terms with the both of them belonging to Danny. He took satisfaction from the knowledge Danny had given him, that had for now had been kept from Jordan about the importance of the bond between the demon and his thralls. But that didn't mean that he would let this man keep him from his pack.

Jordan had gone along with the story, had offered hot cocoa for Liam as soon as the boy had entered the office with a split lip. He had listened to him talking about Derek's presumed abduction. He had tapped into the network Stiles had set up for the family to get the information he needed to search for the missing pack-member. But now that he had all available data, he was reluctant to let Liam go. The boy had come in injured after all.

"You can't go out there looking like that. We are not allowed to let you return to your family showing signs of abuse."

Confused the boy looked up at the deputy and then searched for his reflection in the one-way mirror. Seeing the minor injury still present he grinned, "Awesome!"

Folding his arms over his chest, the young man facing him asked, "I fail to see how a split lip is 'awesome', Liam."

Touching the wound gingerly, the boy revealed, "Healing is instinctual, I had a hard time keeping me from doing it, after I got Stiles to finally hit me, and let me tell you that was hard enough. But in here I didn't concentrate any longer. Still it didn't heal. I am getting better!"

"What?" Bewilderment was written all over Jordan's face, but Liam didn't have time to share the joy of him finally getting a grip on his wolf powers. He just took a deep breath and started to let go of the healing process he had supressed. Within moments the cut was healed and Liam licked away any remnants of blood. Grinning at Jordan, he opened the door to the interrogation room and headed towards the door.

He didn't expect the Sheriff to intercept him on his way out. "Son, where do you think you are going?"

Liam circumvented him before the human was within touching distance. The man had lifted his hand to reach for his shoulder, but knowing the history between the Sheriff and his pack, Liam could not tolerate that. "I am going home, Sir."

"No, you are definitely not returning to these kids. They …" Yet before the Sheriff could finish his sentence, he realized that Liam was unharmed. He could have sworn the boy had had a split lip when coming in. He had even called youth welfare service before talking to him as would have been procedure.

Stepping further out of reach, Liam finished the sentence for him, "They are waiting for me. It is past my curfew already but I had something to discuss with Jordan. We have a shared friend and … well, it was private." And before the man could reply anything, Liam slipped out.

Turning towards his deputy, the Sheriff growled, "He had a split lip when coming in!"

Taking a steeling breath, Jordan faked confusion, asking puzzled, "A split lip? He seemed fine to me now."

This pack was walking the edge of the cliff and one of these days they would tumble and with this jerk in office, Jordan had no way of protecting them. With a tired sigh the deputy returned to his desk, ready to make a few calls on the pack's behalf.

~ * ~

Liam jumped into the back-seat, clearly confused. "Why are we leaving for the company?"

"Meredith called."

"Oh." Contrary to Peter, Liam had been told about the nature of Stiles' main secretary. The boy didn't waste his breath by asking what exactly had happened, because had Stiles or Isaac known, they would have told him, or at least discussed it amongst themselves. Instead he reported what had happened at the station. "Jordan will look into it, but with as little to go on as we have, he doesn't have a lot of hope. Still it is better than nothing. Has anybody called Mrs. McCall?"

Isaac turned around. "Why should we call Melissa?"

"Well, maybe it's something trivial, maybe Derek got into an accident and is at the hospital, unconscious."

Clenching the steering wheel tighter, Stiles forced himself to breathe evenly because he felt another panic attack on the horizon. Still, he didn't have time to lose it right now, no matter how comforting the idea that Derek not being with them was something as 'simple' as a car-accident.

"She would have told us." Isaac assured Liam. Still he pulled out his phone, calling the hospital to get Melissa look into the new patients that had come in today. If by any luck she had missed Derek coming in during the day, this would be over. Still, nobody in the car had a lot of hope.

~ * ~

Stiles asked for updates on their way into the company, yet – as expected – nobody had found anything. The pack was still on their way to talk to their suppliers, contractors and people on the streets. And while Allison had found the place of Derek's abduction, out of range of the last surveillance systems of the industrial part of the city, but still not within reach of the first traffic cameras, they didn't know where his captors had brought him because the car seemed to have simply vanished.

Danny was currently looking into the videos he had obtained by less than legal means, but nobody cared at the moment. Hacking into the public system was an offense, but they would easily get out of that one, even if the hacker left traces, which was highly unlikely. Legal matters were the last thing on Stiles' mind at the moment, so he only encouraged Danny to dig deeper and give him a report the moment he found something.

When the elevator opened to the management suite, Meredith was already expecting Stiles, with her tablet clutched tight to her chest. She didn't say anything, just offered it and a video started to play, showing Derek bound and unconscious, with a phone number underneath. Stiles eyes started to blaze golden with barely supressed rage and Liam and Isaac started whining when they felt their Alpha pulling on their powers. The banshee facing the trio was the one who broke the spell by slapping Stiles, making his head whip to the side.

"This is urgent!" she hissed at him, offering the company's phone. "Call them!"

No matter how humiliating it was to be slapped like a child with a temper tantrum, it helped. So Stiles nodded gratefully and entered his office to contact his hacker. "Danny, I need you to tap into the landline of the company. We have a lead on Derek and I want you to trace my call."

When Danny gave Stiles the heads-up, the Alpha enforced the connection to the entire pack before picking up the receiver. "Stiles Stilinski, to whom am I speaking?"

The voice at the other end was terribly distorted, barely understandable. "At sunrise, you will send one of your trucks to the address that will appear in the folder with the video. Your driver will deliver it and leave. You will not call the cops. You will not try to put a tracker on the truck otherwise your lover is dead."

And before Stiles could ask a single question the line was disconnected.

"A truck?" Scott's unbelieving voice was the first that waved in on their connection, Isaac had repeated everything Derek's kidnappers had said so that everybody was on the same page. "Why would they need one of our trucks?"

"Stiles?" Lydia's calm voice cut through the agitated whispers of the pack, instantly capturing everybody's attention. "You better come home. I just got off the phone with Laura. You will need to hear what she told me."

"Do you think that they …?" Stiles started, unable to believe but not able to dismiss the idea that the Hale-pack might have tried to take back what Talia thought was hers.

"No," Lydia assured him. "But they might have a piece of the puzzle we are solving right now."

~ * ~


	22. Rescue Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What it says on the tin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since my betas Memprime and Wecantgiggleatacrimescene deem this chapter fit for consumption: enjoy :)

Within half an hour the entire pack was back at the house, holding council in the dining room. The map of Beacon Hills Stiles has used for his useless attempts at scrying was spread out on the dining table. Every pack-member gave an overview of what they had discovered. Sadly it was little helpful. Stiles briefly summarized what Meredith had told him since they had all been able to eavesdrop on the phone-call.

Though nearly out of his mind with worry, Stiles couldn't help but grin briefly when Peter finally gathered why Meredith had been working late.

Caring for paperwork that was not due for another week was a weak excuse. But banshees usually made something up subconsciously to justify their pulls. Stiles had learned not to question that because Meredith was unable to explain and Lydia usually got snappy with him.

Looking at their latest pack-member, Stiles stated drily, "You figured it out."

Peter, nodded, but didn't raise his eyes. His wolf still insisted on appearing submissive as to not unconsciously provoke their Alpha. The power Stiles had displayed today only had driven the message home of how strong the spark really was.

"Peter?"

Reluctantly Peter looked up, meeting warm, honey-brown eyes. "Nobody outside of this room knows and we will keep it that way. Understood?"

Raising his chin in an attempt to appear strong, despite being well aware that that every member of the pack was able to smell his uncertainty, Peter nodded. "Understood"

Content with the answer, Stiles looked at his pack. "So, where do we go from here?"

Lydia spoke next, sharing what she had heard from Laura. "The Hale-pack has been contacted. Laura overheard her mother talking to someone. You know how some packs have Omegas? Well, it seemed that someone was offering one; a human, to be exact. One Talia could turn herself."

Scott growled briefly, but Erica and Boyd, who were standing next to him, touched his shoulders, calming him. No wolf present enjoyed the idea of having a pack-omega. Out in the wild, omegas rarely survived. Yet having someone serving as their scapegoat didn't sit well with anybody. Ethan and Aiden rarely shared their past, but when Deucalion had offered power, they had chosen to kill their entire pack to gain it. It had been wrong to kill their Alpha, but the way they had been forced to live had been horrible to begin with.

~ * ~

After Aiden had been brought to his knees by Stiles, they had been cautious; afraid that the abuse would continue just under another pretence. But the teenager had not even touched them for the first month. Stiles had been in no hurry, content to let them approach him on their own time, just like every other member of their pack. They had watched Scott brawl with his best friend, had seen Lydia arguing with him when she hadn't shared his opinion. They had seen Danny crawling into his lap when he wanted affection but in the end it had been Boyd who had won them over. One night, the usually so subdued werewolf had approached his human Alpha, eyes ablaze he had demanded a client to be beaten, because he had severely injured one of their boys.

Whilst Erica had taken care of the wounded man, the male wolf had demanded revenge. Stiles had granted it in the blink of an eye and when the wolf had returned, knuckles bleeding, the human Alpha had just opened his arms for him and cuddled with him for the rest of the night. The next day, Ethan had approached Stiles tentatively. Aiden had lingered at the staircase watching the exchange. Stiles had just smiled at the twin and pulled him into a hug, before turning around and offering a hand to the sibling. From that evening on, the twins had regularly claimed the place beside Stiles' armchair. Not because he was forcing them to the floor, or because they thought themselves beneath him, but simply because that was the position closest to their human Alpha and they had enjoyed his affectionate touches.

~ * ~

Lydia just continued, as if the interruption had not happened. "Laura said that Talia declined, but the thought of someone offering omegas didn't sit well with her. When I called her tonight she told me about it."

"When did that happen?"

"Two days ago."

"Why should anybody offer humans to packs just to make them their scapegoat?" Stiles pondered.

Looking at his friends nobody had an answer to that. Well, nobody but Peter who spoke up after a few moments of silence. His voice had a nasty sneer to it as if it was obvious. "Money of course."

Whipping around, focusing on Peter, Stiles demanded, "Explain!"

Peter did not flinch at that harsh command, at least not much. Instead he composed himself, drawing strength from Isaac's comforting hand on his back, laying out the concept. "Well, many packs are … more hierarchical than yours. The Alpha is … he or she is defending the leading position by forcing their pack to submit to them constantly. Yet few wolves are submissive by nature. If you shove them down they have to find a way to balance. They have to dominate over someone else or they … well, it doesn't go well if they can't find their balance."

The werewolf had not even noticed that Isaac had shifted from his right to his left. He only looked up when he felt Stiles' soft hand at his neck. The Alpha's words were quiet and a little hesitant at first. "I never intended to shove you down. I hope you know that."

Taking a deep breath, unable to keep himself from leaning into the touch, Peter shook his head and looked at the human. "No, you were trying to anchor me."

Stiles pulled him closer, burying his face in Peter's neck, a gesture so very wolf that Peter couldn't help but smile. The others started discussing their options, leaving Peter and Stiles a moment to themselves. Quietly the teenager mumbled into the wolf's skin, "I don't want to have to hurt you if you lose control over your wolf again. But I can't have you hurt the pack either."

Mirroring Stiles' gesture, Peter buried his face in Stiles' neck, inhaling the deep fear the human managed to hide so very well. For the first time Peter realized that he had brought a situation upon his Alpha that terrified the teenager as much as himself. Stiles had done the only thing he could think of and despite frightening his wolf Peter could understand the ingenuity of the gesture. "You scared my wolf into submission. It won't happen again."

Looking up, Stiles looked sombre. "I frightened you too and that's not how this pack works."

Peter and Stiles couldn't hold back their chuckles when they heard Lydia mumbling under her breath with a relieved "Finally!"

Looking at the girl who had made him lose control, Peter gazed back at Stiles. "It does for now. At least until I find another anchor."

Nodding, Stiles let go of Peter and turned towards the map again. Still he remained shoulder to shoulder with the werewolf. They both looked at the map, trying to figure out where Derek was held and how to get him back.

~ * ~

Their best chance to get Derek back was to fulfil the demand for a truck and lie in waiting, overwhelming the kidnappers when they came forth. Every last member of the pack besides Liam was trained in using firearms. Therefore, they could use tranquilizer darts and pick Derek's kidnappers off one by one while remaining hidden themselves. If bad came to worst, Derek was a werewolf, he could stand his ground for a few seconds. At least the pack hoped so.

Their well thought out plan, taking the area of the handover for the truck into account, was rendered useless when Jordan used his earring around midnight. The noise in the background indicated that the deputy was hiding in the restroom of the station. "Is anybody listening?"

Sharing a glance, Stiles nodded at Danny. Even he could tell from these few words that Jordan was anxious and Danny might have the best chance of calming him down. "What's up, Jordan? Did you find a lead on Derek?" The incubus radiated as much tranquillity as possible, helping the young man with his agitation, all the while leaning into Ethan who had wrapped his arms around him.

"No, it's just …," interrupting himself, the pack listened attentively until a rush of water told them that another member of the Beacon Hills Police force had just used the facilities and that Jordan was, in fact, hiding in the toilet. After a few heartbeats the young man spoke again. "Agent McCall and a team of agents will hit a warehouse in the outer skirts of Beacon Hills tonight. The FBI suspects a human trafficking ring. The organization switches bases for every trade and tonight is the only chance to catch them in Beacon Hills. It has nothing to do with the family. You don't trade in humans, so I didn't mention it before. But since you have had a demand for a truck to deliver not far from there, I thought these two incidents might be related." Clearly the broadcast of their war-council had reached the deputy as well.

Scott and Stiles were talking with one voice when they said, "There are no coincidences." It was one of the most favourite catch phrases of Stiles' dad; he had always reminded his son that if two incidents appeared to be related, they most likely were if you only looked hard enough into them. His mother had sometimes joked that John would have made a brilliant sheriff, but the mob-boss who had helped his wife claim the region to establish the family business in America had only laughed at the statement. Still, Stiles had learned a certain way of thinking from his dad and now applied it to the current situation.

"When are they going to hit, Jordan?"

"An hour before sunrise."

"We have to get Derek out of there before than!" Liam spoke up, clearly agitated by the new information.

Stiles pulled the pup into his arms, wrapping one arm around him from behind, leaving the both of them free to look at the map. He marked the presumed location of the human traffickers, noticing that it was back to back with the address they had to deliver the truck to. Looking up at Lydia and then at Peter because these two were brilliant at planning and extraordinarily ruthless when necessary, he asked, "What do we do?"

"Coffee," Was Lydia's immediate answer.

"Black, two sugars," Peter's reply before looking up locking eyes with Lydia, nodding quietly before she pulled traffic cameras, weather forecasts and geographic date on her pad.

Liam looked around, clearly confused as to why the pack was filtering out of the dining room and into the kitchen. Danny nudged him when he seemed rooted on the spot. "You heard these two: coffee."

"Derek is in danger and we are brewing coffee?" Liam asked, his voice nearly breaking.

Stiles, taking the coffee grounds from Scott, spooning them into the container, explained, "Lydia is a brilliant strategist and Peter was Talia's enforcer for nearly seven years. He has his own cold-blooded way of approaching tactical situations we are lacking. This pack is comprised of extraordinary people. We uphold our position by letting every one of us do what we do best."

Looking at his feet, slightly dejected, Liam whispered barely audible, "And what about me?" Yes, the Stilinski-McCall pack was strong but for now all he had added to the mix was trouble. He wanted to be able to offer something for the rescue of a missing pack-member.

Leaving Scott to prepare the coffee, Stiles stepped up to the young teenager and tenderly caressed his cheeks. "You are an extraordinarily good liar and gathered us information vital to finding Derek. Without you talking to Jordan, he would not even have thought about informing us about the raid that is about to go down tonight. Don't underestimate yourself Liam, leave that to the rest of the world. That makes you our biggest advantage."

Allison picked up the finished coffee, delivering it to the dining room, joining Lydia and Peter's implementation of a strategy.

~ * ~

They arrived at the warehouse around three a.m. The humans were clad in leather trousers and bullet-proofed vests, as was Liam. The boy had insisted on joining them, so Stiles had made him wear a vest as well. Neither he nor Scott felt particularly at ease with their pup being there, but it would be too cruel to leave him behind. They all were armed and the communication-lines were open.

Sadly, at least for Stiles, who felt on the verge of a nervous breakdown due to his inactivity, they first had to scout the parameter before figuring out was going on inside. And while Danny had his laptop with him, nothing ever beat good, old-fashioned spying, at least, not if you had werewolves with super-senses on your side. In hushed whispers they shared information about what seemed to be going on inside before they made their move.

Liam and Danny were staying outside with Lydia, since the girl might have relented to carrying a weapon, but still she didn't feel comfortable with the idea of firing it. They knew they were far ahead of the FBI but still halted in their approach of the warehouse when they heard a car pulling up at the front. They shared worried looks when the next engine came into hearing distance and debated with themselves to pull back when more cars arrived. They stayed out of sight of the warehouse, but the wolves heard what was going on nevertheless.

It seemed that Agent McCall had speed up their plans, because even with reconnaissance, they were far ahead of schedule. Lydia confirmed that the FBI had arrived when a tag-team approached the building, forcing the pack-members into hiding. As a last resort, should they fail to free Derek, Stiles had ordered a truck to stay on call, but they were planning of having their wolf out far ahead of sunrise. Now, unwilling to betray their involvement to Scott's dad, offering him further ammunition against the family, they hesitated as to how to proceed. The roof was out of question since the FBI was setting up a base on the warehouse next to them and these buildings had no cellar.

A brute force break-in was their best approach and luckily the locks on the back-door didn't hold against Boyd forcing them open. Scott and the twins were taking the lead, Stiles, Isaac and Peter slipped in behind them and Erica and Boyd were last, since Boyd was the perfect shield against an attack from behind and Erica was really, really fast in hand to hand combat as well as with a gun.

Sadly the scum who traded in humans had noticed the FBI and had gathered their merchandise in one of the big rooms, using them as living shields. Derek was still hidden, apparently they were aware that they needed him in exchange for the truck and therefore deemed him more valuable. The pack was holding its breath, torn if they should help the humans or saving their own pack-member. Luckily Derek took the decision out of their hands by howling.

~ * ~

Once the humans were gone, Derek had no qualms about freeing himself from his bonds. He was checking the borders of his prison, thinking about the best way to escape, when the door beside him opened again. The attack was instinctual, as was the person coming in shooting at him. He couldn't hold back the roar when the bullet tore through his thigh, making him fall to his knees, clutching his bleeding leg. He couldn't help but hiss angrily when he heard the guy above him snicker.

"My, my, it seems we have found ourselves an omega without even meaning to." The guy taunted him, letting his eyes glow a blazing blue, indicating that he had no qualms about killing someone. It might be meant as a warning for Derek to stand down, or to show that he was a wolf as well, since Derek's nature had already been revealed by his howl.

Letting his supernatural abilities do their work, healing the wound, Derek hissed angrily, "I am not an omega!"

Reaching for Derek's hair, the other wolf yanked his head back, while mocking Derek. "Oh, no, of course you are not. You are a pet to a human businessman, that's even worse. You deny your very nature to be a kept dog! Tell me, how much is he paying you to play his bodyguard and letting him fuck you? We have watched, we know that you are his, so it's useless to deny it, mutt."

A gun clocking at the door, caught both wolves' attention. Agent McCall's voice was calm and steady when he ordered, "Step back, please. I don't want to have to shoot you, but this man clearly needs medical attention and you are surrounded. Better to give up now and not make it worse for yourself."

"Really?" the kidnapper sneered. "You think your petty weapons can do anything against me?" Still, he threw Derek to the side, making the wolf suppress a whine, when he was forced to put weight on his wounded leg. It seemed like the bullet had gone right through. Werewolves could heal such a wound, but they needed time. Time Derek didn't seem to have at the moment.

In the central room of the warehouse shooting could be heard and Agent McCall repeated, "Lower your weapon and I will offer you a deal. But if this man dies you will go to prison for the rest of your life." Slowly the agent tried to approach Derek, but the kidnapper did not give an inch, turning so that he had the Agent within his line of sight, dragging the injured wolf with him.

"You can't do anything to me. You are not allowed to use deadly force if someone is neither endangering you or your team. So …" With a maniac grin, he lowered his weapon to the floor and with a dawning sense of horror Derek could see his claws lengthening.

Derek nearly burst out laughing with relief when Stiles, eyes blazing a bright gold, entered the room. Scott and an armed Allison by his side. Peter slipped in as well, as did Ethan and Aiden. Inhaling deeply, Derek could smell Isaac, Erica and Boyd as well. Presumably they were close by, guarding the pack's backs.

Stiles blinked once, forcing his magic down, now that he saw that Derek was not life-threateningly injured nor had been tortured. His tone was dry when he responded to the kidnaper's statement. "He can't, but I am another matter entirely. Allison."

At that request, the huntress pulled back her bow, allowing the dim light to reflect on the silver arrow-head she had chosen for tonight.

Holding his ground, but getting nervous, the werewolf accused Stiles. "You are bluffing. We have done our research, you are nothing but an aspiring kid with a family of misfits. You won't harm me."

Sneering, Peter stated drily, approaching his bleeding nephew at a subtle gesture from Stiles, not showing the slightest hint of fear. "Clearly, your research is lacking."

The bold attempt seemed to set off the guy, yet instead of attacking Peter his eyes blazed blue when he jumped the Agent who was still between him and the door. He pulled the man in front of his body, using him as a human shield.

His claws grazed over Rafael McCall's neck when he roared, "Pull back, all of you. I will leave now and you won't stop me!"

Clearly he had not thought this through, since the only way out was through the door that was currently blocked by the pack. Still, Stiles did as he requested, stepping aside, gesturing for his pack to do the same. "Calm down, let go of the Agent and we will let you leave."

"You can't!" Rafael started, but was interrupted by Stiles coldly.

"You don't even have a clue of what you have gotten yourself into. It would be best if you shut up now and leave this to me."

"Make them leave! All of them!" The guy growled viciously and the chance to get Scott's father out of this alive made Stiles nod his head and gesture for the pack to exit the room. At a short glance even Allison was retreating but kept her bow pointed at the guy until the very last second. Peter helped Derek to stand, and together they shuffled towards the exit. Quietly Stiles raised his hand and approached the kidnapper. "See, they are all leaving. Now let go of Agent McCall and we can show you out."

Gesturing towards Scott who had not moved an inch, Stiles informed him quietly. "The man you are holding hostage is his father. I don't expect him to move until Agent McCall is safe."

"You are fools if you think he will ever be safe again!" The other wolf sneered and raised his hand to gain enough momentum to dramatically slash the FBI Agent's throat. Peter was too wrapped up with his nephew to intervene. Scott and Stiles however weren't. Eyes blazing like the fiery pits of hell, Scott transformed and howled, making every wolf in the room flinch back and cower. Stiles however stood steady at his friend's side, pulling his weapon before the howl had ended, shooting the attacking werewolf right through the head.

For the duration of a heartbeat, nobody dared to breathe, Agent McCall included. The guy looked at his fully transformed son, took in his canines, the fur that had sprouted on his face, the shift in his features and the black claws that seemed ready to tear the man apart who now lay lifeless by his side. Turning his head slightly he could see two more sets of eyes looking at him. Though Peter and Derek were only partially shifted, due to Scott's call, they looked far from human, more like characters right out of a horror story with their gleaming red and blue eyes.

Gazing at the door, Agent McCall realized that several sets of amber and blue eyes were glowing in the darkness. All eyes were on him and all of a sudden he felt like prey in a room of predators. Slowly raising his hands into a defensive position he took a step back, than another, asking hoarsely, "Are all of you monsters?"

Stiles looked at the man who had abandoned both his wife and child for a second before reaching back to take the gun Allison was holding out for him. Stepping up to the partially transformed wolf on the floor, Stiles took another shot right in the guy's face, finishing him off with a wolfsbane bullet before replying. "Yes, Agent McCall, in one way or the other, every person in this room is a monster. But only some of us shift on a full moon."

~ * ~


	23. Monsters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In one way or the other, they all are monsters. Now let's see how they deal with each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Wecantgiggleatacrimescene and Memprime.

Before Agent McCall could think of a reply, Stiles turned around and ordered, "Help the TAC team. I doubt that this guy was the only wolf. Be discreet, we don't want to get involved in this."

"You …," The Agent tried to find his footing again, but before he could say anything, the door to the room closed behind the pack. Stiles took care of Derek, so Scott was the last one to stay behind with his father and a dead werewolf who had by now shifted into wolf-form. Scott was aware that he had to get rid of the body. But still his father's comment had stung more than it should. The bitten werewolf had told himself time and time again that he didn't need a father who had abandoned him when he was young. That he didn't care for the opinion of a guy who had left his mother to care alone for her asthmatic child and the medical bills that came with it. But still.

"Is that really what you see, a monster?" Scott's voice was calm, not betraying any emotion, at least not to a human observer.

"Yes, of course. No! Scott, I …," Overwhelmed by the situation, Rafael McCall ran his hand through his short hair. He tried to think of something, but came up empty.

Dejected but too proud to let it show, Scott lifted the dead wolf on his shoulders and gestured for his father to follow him. Finding a place in the shadows, the Agent got a chance to watch his team taking out the traffickers. Although now that he knew what to look for, he was able to spot the members of the Stilinski family, supporting them by driving the enemies towards them while hiding in the shadows. Only once did he spot Peter Hale, whispering to one of the victims, offering a business card, before dashing away, without one of McCall's agents noticing him.

Once the traffickers were in custody (his son had left without a word) Agent McCall joined his team again, after having helped with a last escapee that was caught before he could make it through the door. The men were securing the culprits, preparing them for transport, when Agent McCall tried to speak with the victims. It was difficult at first, but soon he found a person who was willing and able to talk to him. With his chin lifted proudly, the guy stated in somewhat broken English, that their group – they were about a dozen altogether – was meant to come to Beacon Hills to work for the Red Hood Trading company.

Flabbergasted, the Agent asked for clarification, but got no more than the victims insisting that they had come for legal work. In the end he didn't have a choice but to wait until morning. When he called the company he heard from a tired sounding Isaac, apparently he was one of the secretaries of Red Hood, that, "Yes we are waiting for workers from Mexico. They were supposed to take care of personal deliveries to the south.” The young man was even ready to fax immigration documents and visas to the police department. How the Stilinski family had come up with papers that held under check-up, McCall couldn't say. He was forced to let these people depart with members of a known crime family. But he had to admit, at least to himself, that this would provide them with far better lives than going back home.

~ * ~

Derek's increased healing process, in combination with a make-shift wrap around his injured leg made it possible for the pack to sniff out the few kidnappers who had gotten away. The FBI didn't look for them because they hadn't known about the exact number of people involved. For the pack it was easy to follow the trail of blood, fear and gunpowder. They cornered them at the edge of their territory and though the humans tried to appeal to their good will, promising to find new humans for their service, Stiles cut them off viciously. Human trafficking was an atrocity, one his father would have never partaken in, and Stiles did not plan to change that.

The Don of the Stilinski family was ready to scare them away from his land when one of the traffickers made one last, desperate move. Pulling a weapon nobody had spotted because it had not been fired, he took aim at Stiles and shot him without hesitation. Nobody could tell why anybody would think it wise to shoot the ringleader of an attacking group - the chances for them to get killed for such a move only increased with bloodshed, but humans didn't tend to react cleverly when they were cornered. Isaac, with his swift reactions, had already hugged Stiles from behind, turning him around so that the werewolf's body was between Stiles and the bullet. Derek however, hadn't noticed the motion, since he was standing slightly in front of them.

In one, desperate move he jumped in front of the shooter to intercept the bullet meant for his lover. Unfortunately, his wounded leg made him a tick to slow so the bullet caught the left side of his chest, pushing him back so that he landed right in front of Isaac's feet. The last thing Derek saw was Stiles wrenching himself free of his enforcer's hold, breaking down next to Derek. To an anguished screaming of his name Derek lost consciousness.

~ * ~

The twins were the ones who picked up their workers, right from the police station the next day. They looked tired and worried with blood-shot eyes like they had not slept at all. Neither of them mentioned Stiles or what had happened the night before. They just confirmed the new living arrangements for the immigrants and calmed the people by talking to them in Spanish, making them understand where they were about to go. It seemed that they were actually about to live the American dream.

Right before their departure, the taller twin stated quietly, not even looking at Agent McCall who supervised the pick-up. "Your son is at home. Don't make him wait too long."

Once on the road, Ethan asked his twin, "Why did you encourage him?"

Not meeting his brother's eyes, Aiden concentrated on the road, but was forced to admit, when a gentle nudge from his brother proved that Ethan wouldn't let this one go, "Because Scott is hurting, we all can feel it. And this time, Stiles won't be the one to fix him. Someone had to do something."

~ * ~

Even with this 'encouragement', it took Rafael McCall two days to approach the lion's den and even when he got there after work, he hesitated at the door. What tipped the scale in favour of approaching the house was Melissa coming home and rummaging through the trunk, picking up heavy looking bags. Remembering his manners, he offered a hand. His former wife looked at him for a few heartbeats.

"Took you long enough," she said, before pushing two into his arms, reaching for the last one.

Before she could even pull out her keys, Isaac opened the door for. Still the curly haired boy blocked the entry, glaring at Agent McCall, until Melissa reminded him, "Scott is waiting for him."

Rafael McCall thought he could hear a sub vocal growl, but Isaac let him pass. The Agent flinched slightly when Isaac flashed his blue eyes as Rafael walked past. The man absolutely did not turn around again, though having a predator at his back did not sit well with him. He calmed considerably when he heard Melissa reminding the predatory teenager a soft voice, "I know Scott is hurt, but he is his father. Give him a chance."

Hanging his head like a scolded puppy, Isaac relieved Melissa of her burden, following the Agent into the kitchen. The teenager started to unpack the groceries, leaving some on the counter. After that was done and the bags were stashed away, Isaac took a deep breath and looked at the Agent who clearly didn't know what to do with himself. His wife seemed to take far too much joy from his uncertainty to be of any help.

Rafael did not want to stay in this kitchen with a hostile mon… person, but as little did he want to turn his back on it … him, either. A moment later, Scott and Allison entered from the side. For a moment, nobody said anything before Isaac spoke up. "You hurt him and I will rip your throat out." Scott snickered a little at his boyfriend's comment, only to receive a small kiss on the cheek from his girlfriend, before Allison mirrored Melissa's position beside Isaac, placing a hand on his back to indicate her support. Smiling sweetly she added, "And I will help him hide your body. So chose your next words carefully, Mr. McCall."

His name was spoken in a sneer as if both Isaac and Allison thought of him as nothing more than vermin. But at the moment, Rafael couldn't think about this. His son was … something else and they had to talk about it. It was Melissa who broke the tension, prompting her men, "Why don't you use Stiles' office. I am sure he wouldn't mind. The two of you have a lot to talk about."

~ * ~

After seeing the pictures on the door, Rafael sneered, "Aren't you afraid that Stiles will put you on a leash if you say anything unsavoury about him in his own office?"

No longer bothering to hold back, Scott let his eyes flash red and approached his father. "And what kind of unsavoury things would I have to say about my best friend? The boy who had held my hand and helped me breathe through my asthma attacks in elementary school after you abandoned us. The guy who introduced me to the family who took care of me when mum worked double, sometimes triple shifts at the hospital to keep up with my medical bills. The friend who helped me learn control, despite me wounding him on my first full moon. Stiles never did wrong by me. Contrary to you!"

Retreating half a step before finding his footing again, Rafael shot back, "Oh yes, such saints your best friend and his family. John Stilinski got his own live-in nurse out of this deal. And Stiles has you on such a tight leash that you don't even see the horrible things he has done! He's a killer and a pimp and a drug-dealer and more dead people go on his account than on some guys we have in federal prison. And he is only eighteen!"

Scott full on snarled at that. All of a sudden Lydia was between him and his father, who had retreated into the corner of the office. The girl, who had been doing research in the dining room, must have followed them and hovered outside the door to be there so quickly, obviously anticipating him losing his temper with this jerk who had sired him. Still, no matter what, the werewolf was infinitely grateful to her because she kept him from approaching his father. In a determined voice she told him, " Scott, calm down. He's afraid, even I can see that. Take a deep breath and concentrate. He makes this about Stiles because he doesn't know how to deal with you, with what you are. And that's okay, because this is a lot to take in. That's why you have to help him!"

"Why?" Scott snarled, leaning against the small girl, taking in her relentless strength, grounding himself in it while glaring at his father. He was so angry and so very hurt by his father's reaction. He didn't want to listen to reason, not when facing one of the two persons in this world who should love him, no matter what. Why had John been able to do that but not Rafael?

Looking up at Scott, hugging him tightly, offering the support of the pack, she whispered quietly, "Because he is your father. Don't let him leave just because of your pride. You will regret it. Think of John."

Hugging the girl who had always shown strength exciding her tiny frame, the werewolf buried his face in Lydia's strawberry blonde curls and inhaled deeply. She smelled like love and affection and care and not the slightest bit scared, despite him still having his claws out. When Scott nodded after pulling back, Lydia left the office.

She was right, no matter how little Scott liked it. John had been more of a father figure to him than Rafael for the last ten years and Scott knew that there were a lot of things he had wanted to tell the man. He didn't even want to imagine how Stiles felt. His own father was right here, right now. Maybe he was worth the chance.

Lydia knew that these two men needed a meditator, but she was the wrong woman for the job. Peeking into the kitchen Lydia asked, "Mrs. McCall, I think your family needs you."

~ * ~

Scott took a deep breath and looked at his father. He knew that Stiles would do everything in his power to get John back, as would Lydia and every other member of the pack whose parents had turned on them for what they were or what they had done.

Maybe he could use this chance to talk about everything that had happened in his life ever since his dad had left them. But he couldn't stand his father calling him a monster. That was the worst thing imaginable for Scott, because he was well aware of how close he had been to becoming one on the night of his first full moon.

He was relieved when his mother walked in, looking at him and immediately reaching for his furry hand. She gazed from Scott to Rafael and back again. "Why are you shifted, Scott? What's going on here?"

Shrugging, Scott looked at his father, "I'm just showing dad what kind of monster his son is."

Rafael flinched at the hurt in Scott's voice when he repeated that particular accusation. But this was nothing compared to the bewilderment he felt when Melissa slapped Scott right in the face. Not very hard, just enough to prove her displeasure; pulling her son out of his vicious mind-set. Angrily she pointed at Scott. "NOBODY has the right to call my son a monster, not even he. You would do very good to remember that, young man. You are a werewolf, not a beast. Are we clear?"

Scott looked at his mother like a scolded child, before Melissa pulled him into her arms. Quietly she assured him, "What you are depends on what you do. And we both know that you have not done a bad deed in your entire life. So don't colour yourself that way, I don't like it."

Shaking his head, seeing the easy and fearless interaction between his wife and his transformed son, Rafael asked. "How can you think that, when our son is a member of a known crime family?"

Hugging her son's waist, Melissa looked at her former husband. "How can I not say it, when I know how Scott deals with his people?"

Frustrated about this verbal smack-down that, in the end, did not even contain the faintest trace of an explanation, Rafael snapped, "I don't understand."

Grateful for his mother's support, Scott took a deep breath, then another before he was calm enough to shift back. His eyes now mirrored those of his father when he nodded calmly. "We know. The question is: do you want to, or do you want to turn around and leave again?"

Aware that this might be the one, the only chance, he would ever get of getting his family back, McCall shook his head. "I don't want to leave."

Gesturing towards the sofa, Melissa asked, "Then why don't we take a seat? This might take a while."

~ * ~

The owner of the office currently inhabited by the McCalls, sat at a bed in the intensive care unit of the Beacon Hills Hospital. The room was nice, beige walls with two bright paintings. Peter and Ethan were standing guard outside the door, having just replaced Erica and Boyd who were on their way to work. Still, the only thing Stiles could think about was the constant beeping of the heart monitor and the numerous tubes and wires that helped Derek to breathe and monitored his vitals.

Stiles was not ashamed to admit that he lost it a bit the second Derek had hit the floor, pushed back by the force of the bullet that had entered his heart. True it had not been wolfsbane, but the damage it had done, in combination with the blood-loss from the earlier shot, had been devastating. Lydia had called Melissa and Dr. Deaton. Together they had commandeered an operation room and a suit for Derek's recovery. The director of the hospital had ranted about proper procedure until Lydia had shut him up with a generous donation for their pediatric unit.

One of Katerina's vampires, who worked the night-shifts as an anesthetist and nurse had offered his help, and together the three had operated on Derek's heart for several hours. Stiles had wanted to call for a specialist but Lydia, who had remained his rock in this hurricane, making level-headed decisions, had reminded him that there really was not better 'specialist' for a werewolf than Dr. Deaton. No human could ever understand the complexities of supernatural anatomy, no matter how good he was on his field of expertise.

Stiles had shouted at her, had accused her of only thinking about the money, of making the best choices for the family but not for Derek. She had held her ground stoically. Had allowed his hurtful words wash over her without causing any pain; aware that he did not mean a single one of them until Stiles had broken down, dissolving into tears.

She had then guided him towards one of the uncomfortable sofas in the waiting room. Had held him when he had hugged her waist, crying bitter tears, alternating between apologizing to her and admitting how very, very scared he was for Derek's life.

The pack had joined them after taking care of the dead bodies they had left behind. None of the fleeting werewolves and humans had survived the pack's wrath, after Derek had nearly been killed by one of their guns. The teenagers had slowly filtered into the quiet waiting room. Stiles had been at the end of his strength. Scott had claimed the corner of the couch, pulling his best friend into his arms, while the rest of the pack had chosen positions on the backrest of the sofa or on the floor in front of him, all touching their human Alpha to offer support.

The sun had already risen when Dr. Deaton and Melissa finally found them. While the vampire had made it past sunrise because he had been needed in the operating room, he had been dead on his feet as soon as Derek was stitched up. Thralls of his clan had brought him home in a special vehicle. Sadly, the veterinarian and the nurse could not offer more encouragement than the bleak information that Derek had survived the operation. Now all they could do was wait for him to wake up.

Two days later, he still had not woken, because for whatever conceivable reason, Derek was not healing.

~ * ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sneak-peak of the next chapter. (So you won't tar and feather me.) We will start with:  
> "Derek was woken by some kind of annoying beeping."


	24. Who will protect my heart?

Derek was woken by some kind of annoying beeping. He tried to tell Stiles to turn off his stupid phone or at least chose another, less obnoxious wake-up tone, but his mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton and he could not make a sound. Too tired to care he closed his eyes again and returned to sleep.

~ * ~

The next time angry words that interrupted his slumber. Was it really too much to ask for a few hours of undisturbed rest? When he opened his eyes, they felt as like lead. He could see Meredith with a white suit and a dark-blue shirt in her hands. She was shaking the clothes frustrated, tried to make Stiles take them, but the Alpha refused.

In a superhuman effort, Derek turned his head a little. He could not remember what they had done that had gotten him so tired, but he couldn't muster the energy to care. Stiles seemed to be in a similar condition because his complexion was pale. His hair looked greasy as if he had not had time for a shower in several days. His movement was sluggish, far from the energized self, Derek had fallen in love with.

When he closed his eyes again, nightmares brought him unbelievable pain. A scene in the local woods repeated itself over and over again in the young man's head. And with the dreams came the fear: him being a tick too slow or too fast, too far away or simply not able to protect Stiles from the projectile. To see him tired and worn but generally in good health had been slightly calming. Derek tried to call for him. To offer a side of the bed for his lover to get some sleep, but before he could even lift his arm, sleep pulled him under again.

~ * ~

The third time Derek regained consciousness, there was a white separator at the foot of his bed. Peter was hovering beside his bed and Isaac was standing in the corner. Both wore business attire. Derek noticed them to be armed and when Isaac turned his head to look at Peter, the werewolf noticed the earbud. Turning his head towards the only part of the room within his line of sight, Derek saw Stiles. His Alpha looked better. He had showered, been groomed and was now properly dressed in the white suit Meredith had brought to him. The young man was adored with the business attire, suitable for the head of the Stilinski crime family. His body language supported that theory.

Stiles was talking to someone out of Derek's line of sight. He determined yet detached when he shook his head and gestured 'no'. A small argument broke out that Derek couldn't follow. Why did his head feel like it was filled with wool? Something was distinctively not right here. Stiles was working, as were Isaac and Peter, but Derek was lying in bed, hurting, as he realized for the first time. But before he could follow this train of thought, tiredness overwhelmed him and he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. At least the obnoxious beeping had ended. What a relief.

~ * ~

The last time he woke up he felt something wetting his fingers. When he looked down, he noticed Stiles holding his right hand. The one without the tubes in it. The teenager had a firm grip that bordered on being painful, whispering into Derek's skin while tears were running from his eyes. Not even Derek's advanced hearing helped him to understand, but before he could gather the strength to say something Melissa McCall entered. Silently she checked his charts and prompted Stiles to at least get something to eat from the cafeteria if he didn't want to go home. Realizing how famished Stiles looked, Derek considered this a good advice.

Still the teenager shook his head. Barely turning his head he told Melissa in a broken voice, "I can't leave. What if he wakes up? He should wake up any moment now. He has been asleep for far too long."

Derek noticed the nurse gently rubbing circles over Stiles' back and this was one of the rare times Derek noticed, that Stiles did not look like the leader of a crime family, but like a desperate, eighteen year old boy who was at the end of his strength. All this because of him? Slowly Derek's sluggish mind provided him with details of what had happened. The last thing he could remember was the suffocating feeling when he had seen that trafficker pulling his gun. All of a sudden every last one of his nightmares had resurfaced. If Stiles got shot he would be responsible for the destruction of yet another family. Because without a shadow of doubt the werewolf knew, the Stilinski-McCall pack would not survive without Stiles as their Alpha. Something must have happened though, because the pain Derek felt did not belong to Stiles.

He was somewhat comforted by Melissa's words when she the teenager, "Deaton checks him every day. He said that the wound was life-threatening and that Derek's body preserves his energy to stay alive before he is ready to heal. It was a shock to his system so you have to give him time. He is stable, that's all that matters."

"What if he …," Stiles started, turning his head again to look at Derek. His eyes went big when he realized that the werewolf had finally woken. Tentatively he breathed, "Derek?"

Derek wanted to say something. Tell Stiles that he should leave and get something to eat, for the both of them preferably. Yet all he managed to croak out was, "Stiles."

He tried to lick his lips, to wet his parched throat, but that didn't work very well. Gratefully he accepted Melissa offer of an ice-chip on a spoon. Derek nearly groaned, sinking back into the cushions, enjoying the cool water running down his throat. Nothing in his life had ever tasted that good and immediately he hoped to receive more. But instead of Melissa, Stiles was now the one to offer the frozen treat and during the next quarter of an hour, Derek consumed two dozen ice-chips, slowly working his way up to a cup of water.

Stiles was crying the whole time, but laughing as well. He shared what had happened in-between his emotional outbursts. By the time there was a soft knock on the door that indicated that someone else besides Melissa wanted to enter, Derek was up to speed. He had been asleep for more than a week, and now that he seemed more or less alright again, Deaton wanted to perform another checkup to make sure his healing process was how it was supposed to be.

The doctor asked for Stiles to leave, but at the small noise of distress from Derek, the human reached for his lover's hand and shook his head. Clutching the werewolf's fingers, he stepped out of the way, but he did not let go.

When Deaton was through, telling them that Derek was on his way to make a full recovery, the rest of the pack burst through the door. It seemed that – when hearing from Melissa that Derek had finally woken – they had dropped whatever they had done and driven to the hospital. Overwhelmed by the sheer mass of people in his room, Derek could not suppress a giggle when each and every one of them touched him, scented him and anchored him to make up for the lost time.

Danny was the last to approach him, and after throwing Stiles a questioning look, he hovered right over Derek's face. With a brilliant smile, he demanded, "Take a deep breath," brushing his lips the wolf's.

When Derek opened his mouth he could feel the power the incubus was sharing. Danny tasted like sunshine and spring-water, like relief and a joy so deep that it made Derek weep. Tears were running down his cheeks when the incubus pulled back. Tenderly Danny brushed over Derek's cheeks and breathed another kiss over the werewolf's forehead, whispering relieved, "We are so glad that you are better. Don't ever do something like this again."

Invigorated by Danny's energy but quite overwhelmed by everything that had happened, Derek tried his best to smile. "I will try my best."

The werewolf didn't like to admit that he was a little relieved when Stiles shooed the pack out again. He loved his new family, he really did, but this moment they were too overwhelming. Only Stiles remained, offering him a cup of sweet juice before reclaiming his seat. Derek exhaled exhaustedly before looking at his Alpha.

With a serious expression, Stiles nodded towards the door. "Danny is right, you know. You must never, ever try something like this again!"

For a moment, Derek wanted to interpret the emotion in Stiles' voice as affection, a love so deep it only showed when the boy was looking at Scott and Melissa. But the born wolf could never allow himself such a delusion. Stiles wanted him, in his life, in his bed, to wish for more was futile. So Derek slowly lifted his hand; Danny's energy really was doing wonders for his healing, he could even feel the muscles and fibers knit together already; caressing Stiles' cheek tenderly. With a quiet chuckle, Derek reminded him, "You can find another wolf to protect your body should I not make it one day. The position of the bodyguard comes with quite a heavy occupational hazard."

Anger and sadness poured off of Stiles before his scent changed into something infinitely sweeter. Capturing Derek's hand again, the boy shook his head and stated quietly, "I have eight wolves to protect my body.  But without you, who will protect my heart?"

For a moment Derek's could not breathe, could not even look at Stiles because this … this sounded too much like a declaration of love. Yet the werewolf was aware that he could not jump to conclusions. Kate had said similar things, had implied heavily but never said it to bend Derek to her will. And how far had he gone for her. He had nearly destroyed his entire family, just because he had naively believed in a few, well chosen implications.

Stiles, however, remained hovering at Derek's side. He studied the face of his lover, reminding himself what he knew about his wolf when he saw the joy and the pain and the hope and the sadness wash over his face in quick succession, nearly faster than he could identify them. He did not want Derek to have any lingering doubt. His wolf deserved better. When Derek kept his eyes closed, Stiles pulled their joint hands to his lips and placed the most adoring kiss on every single one of Derek's knuckles.

The teenager's voice was quiet, but serious when he stated, "I love you, Derek. The last week of seeing you here, being forced to work despite you not lying ten feet away from me, because business could not wait, was the most horrible in my entire life, ever since my parents died. I do never, ever want to go through this again, so promise me. Promise me, Derek, that you will never do something like this again, because I won't survive losing you."

Clutching Derek's hand tighter when the wolf stared at him, seemingly not able to understand, Stiles repeated himself. "I love you Derek, with all my heart."

Derek opened his mouth. He needed to formulate a reply. He needed to say something, anything, but all that came out was a pitiful croak. Helpfully, Stiles reached for the juice again, and offered more, but Derek was not thirsty. Sensing his love's turmoil over what he had just said, Stiles gently stroke his face and assured him, "It's alright if you don't feel the same, Derek. I have been in love with you for such a long time, ever since High School, even though I knew that you were far out of my league. I took what you offered, because I know that this is all I can get."

The human lovingly brushed over the werewolf's forehead, untangling a few dark strands. "I am well aware that it is only your wolf who likes me. You said so yourself. Your human side doesn't have feel the say way, that's alright. I can understand the whole 'animal alter ego' part. And when I say I can't lose you, I am not talking about a weird stalker notion. I just want you to be alive and happy. And if you find someone who your human and animal sides are in agreement on, someone else to be happy with, you will let you go. I promise. I just …"

And all of a sudden, Derek knew what to say. Knew the right words to end Stiles' babbling, and with the most brilliant smile, he interrupted his boyfriend. "I love you too."

"I … What?"

Stiles looked like a fish out of water and under different circumstances, Derek would have laughed at him. But right now, there was nothing ridiculous about Stiles beautiful mole-dotted face, so Derek reached out for the boy and managed to pull him close, whispering against his lips. "There are no sides. My wolf and I are in agreement you. I love you, with all my heart," before sealing them with a kiss.

Derek could not help but laugh, when they both heard the cheering and the wolf-whistles through the wall. Apparently the pack outside had lingered and listened in on their conversation.

Melissa had a hard time keeping them out, and both Stiles and Derek could hear Isaac's fake-wounded voice when he declared, "So we are all but expandable to our esteemed leader, as long as he's got Derek. I am wounded Stiles. Do you hear me?" He repeated louder, despite Stiles hearing him perfectly fine through the open door, "Wounded! And I demand a token of your affection to prove to me that I am still in your heart."

Kissing Derek's lips once again, just because he could, Stiles pulled back and shouted, "You can borrow my first edition of Spiderman, but I want it back in my office by the time Derek returns home."

"Awesome!" Isaac rejoiced.

That, however, opened the door to more, similar demands and after ten minutes the pack had distributed Stiles' carefully guarded comic collection amongst themselves.

When they came to the Avengers, Derek growled, "They are mine!"

But Ethan replied joyfully, "You get Stiles! You don't need comic books for the imminent future."

Unable to dispute that, Derek smiled at the Alpha and nodded. "Yea, I guess that's right. Compared to Stiles, everything else is just a consolation prize."

Stiles smiled brilliantly at that statement, but pulled back dutifully, when Melissa placed a tray on Derek's bedside table, offering some chicken stew. Usually, she would not even think about bringing something like meat to a recovering patient. Wolves however, were carnivores, so she knew that mashed potatoes were not an option. Grateful to have something to satisfy his grumbling stomach, Derek sipped polished off every last piece of meat. Satisfied, warm and happy, he was yawning again when the dishes were taken away. Now that his body was properly fuelled all he needed was sleep to speed up the healing process.

Still, when he saw Stiles pulling an armchair closer, he realized that sleeping alone wouldn't be enough from now on. Once Melissa was gone, Derek untangled himself from all the tubes and monitors, something that brought the nurse back immediately. But since he didn't need the monitors any longer, she agreed to take them away.

Once Derek had relieved himself, with Stiles' help because he was still weak on his legs, and had brushed his teeth, he felt bone-tired again. So he lay back down on one side of the bed, making room for another person. Derek could see that it was barely seven p.m., but couldn't keep his eyes open a moment longer. Stiles too looked in dire needed of a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. So he lifted the blanked invitingly and Stiles took his fair share of the bed, after removing his shoes and shirt. Ethan and Aiden were hovering outside, making sure that nobody would disturb their rest.

Once his boyfriend, his partner, had claimed a place in Derek's bed, the wolf tentatively placed his head on Stiles' chest. Until now he had always avoided this position. In the past the heartbeat of his lovers had distracted him from finding any sleep. But with Stiles things were different. Derek knew that he could pick out Stiles' heartbeat from hundreds of people, and though he could even hear the slightest irregularities the way he lay, he whispered, "I love you," since this was the day to lay all of his cards out.

Derek took a shuttering breath, hearing Stiles' heartbeat remaining steady when he too mumbled tiredly, "And I love you. Now sleep, my love. Tomorrow, will might be able to go home."

The werewolf could only nod, yet the wetness seeping out of his eyes betrayed his overflowing emotions.

After a little while, when it became apparent that none of the two could find any sleep, Stiles asked, "Why, Derek?" The teenager was well aware of the abilities of wolves to hear his heartbeat. He also knew how miniscule irregularities could betray a lie, irregularities Derek would pick up that much easier with his head on Stiles' chest.

"I'm sorry." The wolf replied quietly, burying his face in Stiles undershirt. He was aware of how stupid it was, testing someone who had no advantage from lying to him but still …

He had always allowed himself certain illusions. With Kate – though he had not even realized it at the time – he had believed in her commitment. With his one-night stands, he had accepted their words of affection despite knowing them to be white lies. But with Stiles, it would devastate him to sense a lie. Just this once he had to be sure, even at the risk of angering his Alpha.

Stiles did not smell upset or angry, as Derek had been afraid off. The teenager carded his fingers through Derek's strands affectionately, holding him close while assuring him. "I love you, Derek. And I will say it as often as needed, until you can believe me. We have all the time in the world, because from this day on, I am never going to let you go."

Pulling himself tighter towards his human, Derek buried his face in Stiles' chest. For the first time since Kate, he felt like he could breathe. And finally sank into a deep, restful sleep.

~ * ~


	25. Social Workers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam asked in a whisper, "Will they take me away?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playing the Sheriff has to have consequences.  
> Thank you very much Wecantgiggleatacrimescene and Memprime who help me to groom this story and make it fit for your esteemed eyes. Have fun!

Two days after finally regaining his senses, Derek was allowed to leave the hospital. He was not completely healed by any means, but the scent of medicine and the unfamiliar surroundings drove his wolf up the wall. Stiles being with him constantly helped a little, but the werewolf was aware of how much strain the Alpha put on the pack by staying away from home. Since Derek would heal on his own, Deaton had allowed his dismissal. Under the condition, of course, that Derek would rest.

Liam enjoyed this new situation. He liked having someone around when he came home from school who had time for him. Yet the next day after Derek's discharge, the boy found a note on their refrigerator saying that lunch was in the oven and that Derek would return in an hour. They were out of milk, bread, ham and worst of all: ice cream! Grinning at the picture that Derek had sketched under the note – a shaggy wolf carrying a basket – the young teenager grabbed a slice of meat loaf before retreating to his room. Manners were something that happened when the whole family was together.

It was uncommon for the teenager to be home alone, usually someone was coming home from work or on their way to a job, hustling about before disappearing again. But since he knew that those who worked for Red Hood would return between five and six, if Derek got held up, it didn’t bother him. Stiles had assured him repeatedly that there was no safer place for him than the house. Not only because it was the home of a (more or less) known crime-lord, but because Stiles had drawn wardens onto their walls to keep out most of the supernaturals that inhabited their city. The boy huffed in annoyance when half an hour into his studies the door-bell rang.

Liam rolled his eyes and reached for the ear-piece, "Alright boys and girls, which one of you forgot your keys?" while he was bouncing down the stairs, taking two at a time.

Confused mumbling made him slow down before he reached the lobby. Scott's question made him freeze entirely, "Why are you asking?"

"Because there is someone at the door?"

Alarmed Scott ordered, "Liam stop!"

At the same time Stiles insisted, "Don't open the door!"

Hesitant, the teenager looked at the entrance, when the bell sounded anew. "But, someone's ringing."

"Liam," Danny's silky voice calmed the teenager's frazzling nerves. "Sweetheart, none of us would ever ring our doorbell. We would call or use the earrings. Whoever that is, he or she is not pack. Can you hear anything?"

Eased a little by the voice of his master, Liam hovered and listened. "It's a woman. She is talking to … I don't know. I can't hear who's at the other end. She's talking about social services. That doesn't even make sense. Why would social services send someone to a house where all inhabitants are adults?"

"Not all of us are adults, Liam." Stiles was back to his confident self. "This is the consequence of entering the Sheriff's station with a split lip. They are checking up on you."

"What? They can't … why would they?" Retreating on instinct, Liam asked in a whisper, "Will they take me away?"

A chorus of denials made him dizzy. Every last member of the pack assured him that they would never, ever allow that. Danny was the one silencing them by whistling sharply.

Stiles used the moment of shocked quiet to speak. "Liam you will open this door now and ask this woman to identify herself. If she really is from social services, she will have a license card. Danny will check it. When he gives you the heads up, you can invite her in. Offer her something to drink and answer all of her questions as truthfully as possible. Maria wants you to stay with us. Nobody can prove we harm you. So she can’t do anything right now but take a look. Just stay calm and be polite. Isaac and I are on our way and Scott will come home as soon as his meeting is over. Don't worry, pup. Everything will be alright."

~ * ~

Once Liam had his directions, he was briefly disconnected from the broadcast. Worried for their pup, Stiles tried to do some damage-control. "Lydia, tell me what's the worst they can do? Peter, get Marie on the phone."

Gesturing for his enforcer to follow, Stiles headed for their parking lot. Liam would be alone with the social worker – and Stiles really hoped that it had been a social worker at their door – for at least twenty minutes. And though the leader of the Stilinski-family wanted to have faith in their pup being able to handle himself, he didn't want to leave him on his own for too long. The situation would be stressful for anybody. The prospect of being taken away from his family was horrible for a teenager. For a wolf the outlook of losing his pack was unbearable. Danny would stay tuned to Liam's emotions even though he had a meeting to attend to. Should his thrall panic, Danny could be with him in a heartbeat.

On their way back, Lydia read from several legal documents that a teenager of Liam's age could very well decide where he wanted to live, if his legal guardian – in this case Maria Dunbar – permitted it. Peter was briefing Liam's sister, and since the young woman wanted her brother out of trouble, she would agree to whatever story the pack came up with. They all knew the safest way was to keep their story as close as possible to the truth: Maria and Liam had run with a 'bad crowd'. Once Maria had realized what was going on, she had encouraged Liam to stay in Beacon Hills with some friends. Now all they had to do was convince the social worker that Liam was neither in any kind of trouble, nor was getting abused.

~ * ~

The cracking of the steering wheel pulled Stiles out of his own mind back to the present. When looking at Isaac, he noticed that the werewolf’s knuckles were turning white. Imagining the reason for his enforcer's anger, Stiles put his hand over Isaac's finger, reminding his friend, "We would never do that, and you know it. They just have to be careful. Had they acted the same way with you, your father would have never …"

"My father was a bastard," Isaac pressed out from between elongating teeth. "But he was well integrated into society. Nobody ever suspected that he …"

"That he was abusing you." Stiles finished for him. "Say it Isaac, because that's exactly what happened."

"Because he was abusing me!" the werewolf roared, eyes shining a cold blue. "How can they think, even for a single second, that the home I am living in would do something like that to a young boy?"

Pressing down on Isaac’s neck, anchoring the werewolf in the pack-bond, Stiles reminded him, "Because statistics are against us. Child from abusive homes have a high chance to become abusive parents. It's a vicious circle and most people need a lot of help to break out of it."

Isaac's voice was barely audible. "Help like a wolf-pack."

Smiling at his friend, rubbing his thumb over Isaac's neck, Stiles confirmed. "Exactly: help like a wolf-pack. This pack will not allow our pup to be taken from us. She will see that Liam is alright, trust me."

~ * ~

Liam, was definitely not alright. He had asked for the identity card, and when handing it over the woman had looked down at him over her glasses. Even when Liam invited her in, she hovered, scrutinizing the boy, before entering. Before the teenager even got the chance to offer her a coffee, she asked, "Isn't anybody home?"

Flinching slightly at the implied accusation, Liam lowered his head and pulled back a little. "No, nobody is home at the moment. Stiles, Isaac and Danny usually return between five and six. With the rest it depends on their schedule."

"Their schedule, I understand." Passing the boy, the woman pulled out a notebook and wrote something down, while inspecting the house. She opened every door and looked into every room, clearly judging what she saw. When it came to the games beside the console in the living-room she raised her eyebrows at Liam and dotted down every video-game with a rating of sixteen and above.

Liam tried to stop her. But since he was convinced that touching her was a bad idea, and could not think of anything smart to say, he mainly hovered, making insentient noises of protest, whenever she touched something that belonged to a member of the pack. When she finally made her way down to Stiles room, Liam knew that he had to do something. Squeezing himself between the social worker and the door to Stiles' office, he glared up at the woman. The teenager had learned that nobody but Lydia was allowed in that room, and he was determined not to let this weird lady pass into his human Alpha's sanctuary.

When the boy didn't react to a suggestive gesture, the woman demanded, "Well, young man, step aside. I am here to discover if this house is a suitable home for a boy like you. Therefore I need to inspect everything."

Feeling hot anger churning in his gut, because of her dismissive behavior, Liam held his ground. "You don't need to look into a room not even I am allowed in!"

Looking down at the boy, who had for the first time actually said something, and not in fear but in determination, a nearly unperceivable smile tugged at her lips. Still she clung to her serious façade, looking down at the boy. "And how can I be sure that there is nothing in there to hurt you?"

"I would tell you!" the teenager stated, glowering up at her, folding his arms in front of his chest defensively.

The social worker briefly touched his shoulder before speaking in an uncharacteristically soft tone. "No, Liam, that's the problem. You really would not."

Before Liam could reply, the door opened and Stiles called for him. Sagging with relief, the boy stepped around the social worker to reach his Alpha as fast as possible.

The woman briefly opened the door to the room he had denied her entrance and was relieved to find nothing but books, comics and a computer in it. Closing the door again, she returned to the lobby, where Liam was explaining to Stiles in a frantic whisper what had happened, clinging to the older teenager's jacket.

It was plain to see that the boy did not hesitate to maintain physical contact, something that rarely happened in cases of child abuse. However, there were many people registered in this house, and she had to see him interact with all of them, before she could rule out the possibility that he was abused, something the Sheriff was clearly convinced of.

She took in the imposing figure of Stiles Stilinski who approached her once he had calmed Liam sufficiently. The second teenager, who had followed in his wake, had just closed the door and was reaching for Liam even before he was even turned. Concentrating on Mr. Stilinski she shook the offered hand, when the young man introduced himself properly, "I am Stiles Stilinski, I would offer you a drink, but before serving you coffee, I would really like to know why you came."

She had upset Liam with her distant behavior, something that was necessary, because once she concentrated on the children, she was unable to inspect the surroundings, too caught up in making them feel better. She had seen Stiles soothing the younger boy. He had touched him affectionately, so whatever the Sheriff had seen clearly was not of Stiles Stilinski's making. Yet before she could introduce herself and explain the reason for her visit, a familiar voice spoke up, "Agatha? Agatha Monroe?"

Looking at the tall, curly haired young man, who now had a hand on Liam's shoulder, a gesture the boy seemed to lean into, she nearly didn't recognize him. But after a moment, the memories returned to her. "Isaac Lahey? Oh my god, I nearly didn't recognize you, you look so different."

Untangling himself from Liam, the teenager reached for her and pulled her into a brief hug, before returning to pull Liam against his chest again. She took in the movement with hawk's eyes, aware that Isaac knew that. Still, he did not tense, did not even flinch, when Liam dug his fingers into Isaac's forearm, asking in a hostile tone, "You know her?"

Smiling, Isaac looked down, ruffling the younger boy's hair. "Yes, I know her. She was the one who cleared me to live with John, Melissa, Stiles and Scott as soon as my dad was dead."

"That was nearly two years ago," supplied Agatha. "And I have to admit, you look good Isaac."

"Look," Stiles interrupted them, slightly impatient. "I'm really glad that the two of you know each other, but I really would like to know who called you."

~ * ~

As it turned out, Stiles had to wait another hour to finally receive an answer to this question. Within forty minutes, every last member of the pack had returned home, something that Agatha wrote down meticulously. Once every inhabitant registered in the Stilinski residence was present, she asked, "How did you all know that Liam needed you?"

"Well," a strawberry blonde girl, she had introduced herself as Lydia Martin, explained. "We don't get unannounced visitors very often and Liam does have a phone. He knows that he needs to call when something out of the ordinary happens."

That was not even a lie, because apart from using the magic earrings instead of his mobile, Liam had done exactly that.

"And a stranger coming to your door is 'something out of the ordinary'? Is that what you are saying, Miss Martin?" Her voice was provocative, but she had to get a truthful answer. Otherwise she could not decide if this really was the best place for a fifteen year old to grow up.

Yet instead of rising to the bait, Lydia smiled sweetly. "Liam rarely is home alone. Had one of us been here, he would not have called. But we weren't, so he told us."

It was the sensible thing to do, there was no denying that, yet somehow it felt a little paranoid. Liam was fifteen years old, surely he could deal with a door-to-door salesmen or the postman. On the other hand, Agatha Monroe was not here to judge if these people were overprotective, but if they were abusive. The later didn't seem to be the case, but still, something felt off.

However, the only adult in the house seemed to be a sensible person. Melissa McCall was still wearing the scrubs from her day-shift. Instead of changing she had claimed a place on the love-seat, briefly reaching for Liam to comfort him. Her son and the young Allison Argent sat at her feet, Allison huddled into Scott's embrace. They all tried to appear relaxed, but none of them let Agatha out of their sight.

Liam was currently sitting with a dark-haired, handsome looking man who had introduced himself as Daniel Mahealani. From the moment he had entered, Liam had gravitated towards him. The young man had hugged the smaller teenager, kissing the top of his head, before turning towards one of the twins who too had a permanent residency here, kissing him lovingly. All of these children were far too tactile for the social worker’s liking. But since they all had well established places in society, each following his own career, there was nothing she could do for now.

~ * ~

She announced her next visit three days later. Together with the Sheriff she had researched all the inhabitants of the Stilinski household and while talking to Liam's teachers and his lacrosse-trainer had revealed the boy to be generally well behaved, albeit slightly mischievous, there were only two people in the family she had to worry about. Following her polite demand for a private interview, Stiles Stilinski invited her for coffee the next day, since Liam would be home by then but barely anybody else.

When Stiles Stilinski guided her to the living room, the two of them seemed to be alone. But after providing a cup of coffee and a few cupcakes, she noticed that Derek and Peter Hale as well as Scott McCall and Liam Dunbar were playing a two-on-two lacrosse match in the back yard.

Smiling, Stiles explained, "Liam has a big game tomorrow. Since your interview meant that he had to miss practice today, Scott offered a training-match."

Agatha flinched slightly in her seat when she saw Scott and Liam colliding full force in front of a make-shift goal. She was nearly out of her seat when the both of them losing their footing, tumbling to the floor. She relaxed again when she saw that Liam was laughing so hard, that he could barely stand up. A moment later, the two repeated the move, but this time Liam was able to twist out of the attack, bypassing Peter Hale who guarded the goal. She could see the delight in the boy's eyes, when he managed to score and jumped Scott McCall triumphantly.

"He's happy with you."

"Do you deduce that from what you see, or what his sister has told you?" Stiles smiled pleasantly, sure in his own deduction.

So Agatha asked, "What makes you think I called his sister?"

Shrugging, Stiles gestured for the others to end their match, when they looked towards the house. Liam pleaded with his outstretched fingers for five more minutes, but Stiles shook his head, and gestured upstairs. When looking back at the social worker, he pondered, "Because that's what I would do: make sure that everybody is on the same page. That Liam actually wants to be here, and his sister approves. This is a good family. You know Isaac, he flourished ever since moving in with us."

Having done her research, Agatha Monroe countered, "Isaac Lahey has three charges of 'nightly disturbance' and one for 'attempted assault' on his name. Not exactly the most law abiding citizen."

"Are you here to discuss morals or if the people in this house are happy?" Stiles asked provocatively.

"I am here to judge if this is the best place for a fifteen year old to grow up."

Quietly approaching from the kitchen, the others had left their gear in the garage and had washed their hands and faces before joining their guest, Liam was the one who asked, "And will I get a say in that matter?"

When Agatha turned around, the young boy offered his hand, greeting her politely, before approaching Stiles' armchair, sitting down on the floor between Stiles' legs, tapping his right shoulder. Stiles started to massage the sore muscles after sharing his drink with the parched boy.

"I'm afraid that you might not be the best judge if the allegations are true." The social-worker stated, watchful of the interaction between the head of this family and its youngest member.

Derek Hale, he had chosen a place behind Stiles and Liam, sipping a soda while leaning against a side-board, asked calmly, "Allegations made by whom?"

"The Sheriff." Agatha revealed, though she very much doubted that this was really news to these kids. They seemed extraordinarily well informed when it came to what was going on when it concerned their family.

"The Sheriff has it out for us. He didn't like Stiles' dad. Since John is dead, he projects that dislike to every member of this family." Scott shared in a slightly angry tone, having chosen a position on the couch between Liam and Agatha. It felt like he wanted to provide a living shield between her and the boy.

"And all 'dislike' aside," Peter's sneer came from the direction of the kitchen, where he had just made himself a sandwich and now entered, swallowing the first bite. "The guy is a jerk. What harm are we supposed to do to Liam? The boy is perfectly alright!"

Of course she had noticed that the boy showed not the slightest signs of abuse, nor did he shy away from a single member of this family. On the contrary, he seemed nearly starved for their affection, if his constant attempts of making contact with them were anything to go by. And from what Agatha had seen so far, everybody was touching, hugging or cuddling him as easily as they maintained contact with each other. To them it seemed to be the most natural thing in the word. Agatha knew very few families that were so openly affectionate with each other.

Sadly that still did not mean that this was the right environment for Liam. "Even considering all that, I have a hard time seeing this as the perfect surrounding for an adolescent boy when he is surrounded by people with a record. What kind of example can someone provide who has been reported no less than six times for aggravated assault and three times for malicious injury of property, Mr. Hale?"

Peter's wolf wanted to curl into himself, ashamed when being presented as a bad example for the whelp. True he had a vicious way of working, but that was a given in their line of duty. But still, not allowing this woman to cower him, Peter lifted his chin and stared her down. He was on the verge of defending his actions, when all of a sudden Stiles spoke up.

"And how any of these notifications were reported in the last three months?"

"None of them," Agatha admitted. "But that hardly means that …"

It hardly meant that Peter was the ideal role-model, but before she could finish her sentence, Stiles interrupted her. "No, it does not. But neither Peter, nor any other member of this family had done anything wrong ever since Liam joined us."

Lifting her eyebrows unbelieving, the social worker asked, "And now you want me to approve of Liam living here, just because nothing happened within a twelve-week period? There are people living in this house who are known for their violent behavior. You can't expect me to ignore that, Mr. Stilinski."

Stiles hugged Liam from behind, because the longer the social worker had spoken ill of their family, the more the boy had started to shake from anger. Placing a steady hand on the boy's chest to hold him back, Stiles shook his head. "No, but what I expect is for you to give every member of this family the benefit of the doubt. Innocent until proven guilty, it's not always nice but that's how our system works."

Gesturing towards Peter, who had approached him without the situation calling for it for the first time, simply because Stiles was defending him – the teenager assumed this gesture to be subconscious because the werewolf rarely received open support and was yet not used to it – the head of the family continued, "You are very welcome to visit any time you want. You can invite Liam for an interview and we will bring him to you. But until a member of this family does something wrong, I want you to accept that Liam wants to be with us and not throw logs beneath our feet."

For a long minute Agatha Monroe looked at the men in front of her. Peter had chosen a position behind Stiles' right shoulder, Derek stood by his left. Scott still sat on the couch closer to them than to Agatha, and Liam sat on the floor, overwhelmed by the men around him, but clearly comforted by their protective gestures. Maybe these people were exactly what the boy needed. Maybe they would protect him from the life he had lived in Pittsburg, and yes, Agatha had looked into the police records there and had discovered that Liam had suffered severe abuse from his sister's boyfriend, who had mysteriously vanished a few months ago. The boy was happier here and despite this family not being a role model of the American dream, for now she could accept that this was the best place for him.

So after nodding to herself and Stiles, she rose from the sofa and offered her hand. "Very well, Mr. Stilinski, I do reserve the right to visit again and to call Liam in for interviews. But for now I can see that this house is his home, so I won't interfere until you give me reason."

The smiles she received from the people facing her, were almost blinding. Stiles shook her hand and saw her out, accompanying the gesture with friendly words, "That's all we want from you, Mrs. Monroe. We're glad that you are on Liam's case."

~ * ~


	26. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Concerning families, and not only the Stilinskis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry you had to wait so long for this one. Memprime had it ready ages ago and Wecantgiggleatacrimescene sent it to me before the weekend. I'm just a moron who get's lost in the messages of her own betareaders. So sorry.

The next few weeks were calm, though Derek noticed that there was some kind of tension in the air on occasion. Lydia, Allison, Scott and Stiles lingered in Stiles' office regularly, yet none of the four seemed to find it necessary to share what was discussed there with the rest of the pack. Having faith in his Alphas, the werewolf was convinced that there was nothing to worry about until told otherwise. Peter however, was less patient. More than once did Derek see him ask Lydia about what was going on when she emerged from the office. But the girl only touched his shoulder or kissed his cheek, assuring him that everything was under control.

After about a month of these private meetings, Peter had had enough. He liked this family, but he hated being out of the loop. Spring was about to begin and the day had been uncharacteristically warm, making all the humans a little cranky, due to the sudden change in temperature. That, combined with an imminent blue moon, had everybody on edge. So when Lydia, Allison, Scott and Stiles four emerged from Stiles office once again, claiming their places at the dining table without saying a word, Peter stopped being discreet about his desire to be told what was going on.

"Look, I appreciate that you welcomed me in your pack and all that," Peter started, unexpectedly aggressive towards Stiles. "But I demand to know what is going on. What are you discussing behind our backs! I am not one of your kids. I want to know what's happening!"

Yes, Peter had bounced back from being scared of Stiles. His wolf still had a healthy respect for the Alpha, but the past two full moons had proven that the werewolf was absolutely able to hold himself under control. Even when Lydia offered her blood to the vampires of the Club Salvatore. Stiles seemed more amused than irritated by the harsh demand. He gazed at his best friend and when Scott made a dismissive gesture, the human Alpha looked at Peter Hale and revealed, "The demon wolf will use the next full moon to take over your sister's territory."

"What?"

~ * ~

Talia had struggled. For such a long time she had done everything she could think of to help her family bounce back from the tragedy they had suffered all those years ago. She had even sent her son away to keep him safe from retaliation. And though Derek had proven extraordinarily effective while managing their branch in New York, she had never given him credit for it. Sure she had told him that he did a good job when he had visited with the books. But until Derek had been gone, she had never fully realized how much effort he had put into making their business strive.

Since summer she had had two family-members trying to take over Derek's job. Yet both had failed, either in getting their dealers under control or in caring for the books. Now the third one was on his way. But Talia had lost hope that he would do any better. New York simply was too much to handle for a single person. Sometimes she wondered how Derek had done it. From the looks of it, her son had worked 24/7 to maintain discipline and keep their journals up to date. Why had he never said anything? It could not have been a good life. He had smelled edgy whenever he had returned, reluctant and redrawn, yet still he had never requested any kind of support.

Talia had been well aware what she had risked by sending him off to the Stilinski clan, especially with that collar. But she had hoped that her boy would find his edge. Like Laura had with the other clan two years ago. But on New Year's Eve, Derek had not appeared hardened or particularly single-minded. He had smelled sad and nearly panicking when entering the clearing.

She had hated the Stilinski boy for that, but had been determined to keep her opinion to herself, until the deal was through. Yet something changed, the kids had talked to her son and all of the sudden there had been hope. Derek had looked at her when he had transformed and crossed the clearing. He had not even tried to appear submissive to his rightful Alpha when he had come to her with the money. It had been confusing, until the moment of him rejecting her. Rejecting their family had revealed that he did not intent to submit to her ever again.

Never, not for a single second, had Talia ever thought, that her son would not return home. She had been prepared for an outrageous request from the Stilinski boy, for more money, more territory or another business transaction. But never in her wildest dreams, had she thought that her son would look into her eyes and state calmly, "Thank you, but no thank you." Before returning to these children! Children who had welcomed him with open arms, touching him, scenting him. Only at her outraged accusation for them not being fit to care for her child they had revealed their secret.

A pack of wolves, led by a human crime-lord and a true Alpha had faced her off, daring her to engage them in a fight. They had even had two Argents for their protection. She knew Victoria had taken her own life, the rumor that she had been bitten by a rogue wolf had been as persistent in her circles, as the one that she had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor with the humans.

Chris Argent had despised her. She had smelled that whenever they had met. But since she had taken care that her pack was no danger to the humans of Beacon Hills, he had never had any reason to hunt them. It had been an unsteady truce, but a truce nevertheless.

Seeing him and his daughter with these children, it had become clear where his loyalties lay. She had believed him when he had said that he would keep the wolves in check. He was a hunter after all. But seeing him on their side had made it apparent that she had met a stronger force than she could ever hope to defeat. She had pulled back, reluctantly. Still, she had to know who had created them in the first place. She had felt entitled to that knowledge and had demanded it ruthlessly. So she had not even registered her brother stepping up to her, when Stiles had issued an open invitation for any member of her pack to join them.

It had been one of the rare times when Peter had given voice to the thoughts in her head. She had thought them too far apart for that, but her brother had taunted the Stilinski boy in her place. Safe in the knowledge that no member of her pack would ever leave her, she had once again demanded the wolf who had bitten them to be revealed.

Thunderstruck when realizing that the exchange between her brother and the other pack revealed that Scott McCall was a true Alpha and had not bitten the other wolves in the pack, she had hovered uncertainly. Still, she had not been able to let go of the question. Peter, clearly intending to take the offer, had pulled the rug from under her feet by giving her the last clue to solve this puzzle herself before transforming as had been requested.

She had not been willing to let another wolf leave her pack so easily, let alone a blood relative. But the vicious growl from the other pack, when she had touched her brother, had made it clear that the decision had already been made. That night she had not only lost her son but her brother as well. Though, when thinking about him biting several teenagers without her knowledge, maybe she had had lost him long before that.

Never in her life had she thought Peter able to show enough humbleness to join a pack with not one but two Alphas. When he had done so, nearly every member of the pack had been scenting him, before he had sat beside Lydia Martin who had collared him. He had not made a single sound when the girl had fastened the dreadful enchantment around his neck and of course he had obeyed without hesitation after that.

She had wanted to howl, to tear these kids to shreds after losing two of the strongest wolves of her pack to them. But in the end she had retreated, knowing that a fight would not end in her favor. After that night she had severed all business ties with the Stilinski family. She had opened herself for markets south of Beacon Hills, now that she had four million dollars it was easy to tap into new business opportunities. Sadly that had left her without backup. She simply did not know how to react to the rumors that the demon wolf would try to claim her territory.

She had asked Deaton for advice, and of course the cheeky emissary had suggested for her to go to Stiles for help. During the following argument she had discovered that of course Deaton had known about the other wolves. Yet he used his cursed 'neutrality' as a defense for not telling her. When she had downright accused him of divided loyalties, he had just shaken his head at her, clearly disappointed. Of course he would never work as an emissary for another pack. That would be a conflict of interest. Yet when she had asked him who was advising the Stilinski family, he would not reveal the pack's emissary.

Angry, she had left him, accusing him of not taking his job seriously, painting him responsible for all the lives lost should it come to a fight between the Hale-pack and that of the demon-wolf. The truth was, she was out of options. The only thing she could do was call all remaining members of her pack home, hoping that it would be enough to hold her ground. Yet somehow, she doubted that. But she could not let herself be discouraged by the bad odds. Beacon Hills and its secrets had been her families to protect for a very, very long time. She would fight to the last man standing to defend them.

~ * ~

Peter has run in circles, both in his mind and in the back-yard. He had watched the pack and his nephew train and teach the whelp. The blue moon was only days away but nobody had said anything about Deucalion's imminent attack on the Hale family. Peter had asked Lydia about it. Yet the girl had only answered absentmindedly that the Hale cared for the woods and the Stilinski family for the town of Beacon Hills and several others in Central California. Their territories did rarely overlap.

The werewolf was … conflicted. He had asked Derek if he had any plans to intervene, but his nephew had only shrugged the question off. "I trust, Stiles," had been his simple answer, before he had returned to the books of the company, as he was preparing for yet another reversion by the treasury department. Apparently the FBI didn't share their data. And though Peter could understand that Derek wanted to present the company's books in the best possible light, it was the first legitimate job he had ever had after all, he found the answer frustrating.

The day before the blue moon, Peter cornered Stiles in the kitchen. Dinner was already through and the others were piling in the cinema for an illegally obtained copy of the latest blockbuster. The Don of the family had stated a craving for ice-cream and since the others had demanded their own, Peter had volunteered to accompany him. Stiles was currently placing all the ice-cream boxes on a tray, digging through the drawers for enough spoons, when the werewolf blurred out, "I can't leave Talia to face this threat alone!"

He smelled no anger or anxiety on Stiles at this statement. So he was not prepared for the hard look in the Alpha's eyes, when he turned around, asking Peter evenly, "So you plan to abandon your new family in favor of your old one?"

Peter wanted to deny that. To explain that he would never abandon Lydia and Aiden, Erica and Boyd and least of all Isaac. Scott was his Alpha now and he would follow him, … Stiles was his Alpha too, and he would follow him, and … Dropping his head Peter couldn't come up with a valid answer. Though Stiles was no wolf he usually was able to call them on their lies if Peter came up with a petty excuse now he couldn't even belief himself. The truth was, Talia had been his Alpha too and a part of his wolf still felt bound to her. Not because of her position in the pack, but because she was his sister, family by blood and that was important.

Stiles seemed to be aware of his inability to find a valid response, because after a few heartbeats, he picked up the tray with ice-cream and left without another word.

Peter didn't return to the home-cinema that night and nobody bothered him afterwards. He lay in his new bed, in his human Alpha's old room, and watched the nearly full moon make his journey over the night sky. Yet when it moved out of the frame of his window he still hadn't come to a conclusion of what he should do.

~ * ~

They all were anxious and short-tempered during the day of the blue moon. The wolves felt the pull much stronger this time, and the humans were somehow riding their emotional high. Still, Alison, Lydia and Stiles and Danny made a valid effort to calm their respective partners and Melissa was maintaining as much physical contact with Erica and Boyd.

Peter followed Lydia and Aiden obediently and Lydia had wisely decided to visit some of their more resisting business partners to give the wolves a chance to blow off some steam. For dinner, copious amounts of meat were consumed, mostly raw for the wolves, and afterwards they all snuggled on various couches and love-seats in the living room. Stiles was the only one who had excused himself and not ten minutes later, Derek had followed.

When around half past ten Alison entered, she was still in full fighting gear: bracers, jambarts and a leather corset. She looked hot, Peter had to give her that, like a warrior princess of old. He could understand why Scott and Isaac perked up immediately when she entered the room. Yet he was surprised when Isaac whined under his breath as soon as he was touching her. Black veins were running up the young wolf's arm. Clearly Allison was in pain. Yet the girl brushed off his hand and kissed her curly haired boyfriend sweetly. "No need, Isaac. I underestimated dad's latest client. He was particularly persistent in his negotiations. But we wrapped him up nicely."

There was a pun in there somewhere, but the realization that came with that statement had Peter swaying for a second. His heart skyrocketed and his eyes started to glow, when he stormed towards Stiles' office and kicked open the door. It made a satisfactory crunch against the bookshelves. Peter all but growled at the teenager, who was currently making out with his nephew. Pulling back from his partner, Derek mirrored the gesture, teeth elongating, eyes shining a radiant blue. Yet Peter couldn't care less at the moment. Not entering the office, at least that rule remained unbroken, he accused Stiles, "You made me think that I had to choose between my old family and my new one. You would never force me to make that decision if I wanted to help Talia! You're not that kind of Alpha."

Talia would have been that kind of Alpha. Their mother would have been that kind of Alpha, hell Deucalion was clearly that kind of Alpha. But Stiles would never do that. Family was important and he would never make any member of his pack chose. He let his pack help when their help was needed. How cruel to make Peter believe otherwise!

Cupping Derek's cheek to calm the wolf down, Stiles only rearranged himself slightly on Derek's lap, so that he could look at Peter without straining himself. With a taunting smile, the boy shook his head. "Congratulations on finally figuring that out. Did you have help?" Trailing his fingers through his mussed up hair, Stiles looked into Peter's eyes, unbelieving when asking in earnest, "For what kind of asshole do you take me? You want to help your family? Why are you still here?"

Peter at least had the modesty to look somewhat sheepish for the tantrum he had just thrown, and with but a small nod he left, not even bothering to close the door again. Stiles could feel Derek's head on his chest, looking after his uncle. Exasperated, the werewolf stated, "I better join him to keep him from doing something stupid." Nodding, while scratching his boyfriend's neck, Stiles confirmed. "Yep, you better do that," before kissing Derek's lips tenderly, rising from his lap.

Not five minutes later, both Hales left the house in Ethan's Land Rover, prepared to support Talia in this time of crisis. Stiles used the chance to stretch out on the now empty couch, catching a few minutes of reviving calm before the storm hit.

~ * ~

Talia had been surprised to see her son and brother when the pack had left the house to meet her opponent. True, two wolves more or less wouldn't change their odds by much. Still she felt better at the thought that her family had not abandoned her entirely. As Alpha, she could not allow herself any display of emotional weakness. So she only nodded towards Derek and Peter before ordering her pack into their cars for departure.

Since the demon wolf had a flare for the dramatic, she was directing her pack to an old barn where the last 'negotiations' had taken place. She had been stronger then, had easily forced the demon wolf out of her territory. This time she would only succeed if she had a lot of luck on her side. Yet luck had not been with her family for the last six years.

Upon entering the barn, she noticed that something had happened here. A spiral had been clawed into the wall. A burned circle of mountain ash edged into the floor. This had become a place of great power but Talia could not decipher if this would work to her advantage. When they heard the demon wolf approaching she met him at the entrance. When she saw the sheer overwhelming number of wolves who followed him – there had to be at least a dozen people – she realized that she was outnumbered. Her pack would not survive a fight against these Alphas.

~ * ~


	27. Deucalion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I think we have demonstrated to Talia how this family acts in a moment of crisis. If she wants to know more," turning from Stiles towards his sister Peter concluded, "you have my number."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nuff said. Enjoy ;)

The alpha of the alpha-pack had always been sure of himself. Still that did not justify his mockery when he approached her. "Talia, I see you got the entire family together. Even the little payment you offered to Stilinski. You must be glad to have them at your back for a special occasion like this."

Derek could barely hold back his uncle, who was already growling at the wolf who taunted his sister. Luckily his sisters didn't want their uncle to get maimed or killed either. Between the three of them, they managed to keep Peter in check. Derek had not had the chance to speak with his sisters. Everything was happening so fast but the brief touch the siblings had allowed themselves had spoken of joy and grief in equal parts. Obviously his sisters did not expect to survive this moon.

"You had an agreement with this family," Talia started, raising her chin to appear taller. The power her opponent was extruding made him appear larger than life. Every wolf on the clearing clearly was intimidated by him. "This territory was entrusted to the Hale-pack for safe keeping many generations ago. These woods and the surrounding territories are under my protection and you have no right to enter our lands without my permission."

Flashing Talia a smile, the sheer amount of teeth made a mockery of the jovial gesture, he answered, "See, that's the beauty of it, agreements can be re-negotiated. If I remember correctly, this territory was entrusted to you, as long as you are able to keep it, and the humans who live nearby, safe. Yet from everything I have heard, you have been doing a poor job recently!"

Confused, Talia shook her head. "What makes you say that? We have not had a supernatural incident in years!"

"Two years to be exact." He stated, looking behind Talia to meet Derek and Peter's eyes. "Exactly two years ago other players entered these fields and had done the majority of keeping this town and its inhabitants safe."

Returning to his pack in languid strides, touching the shoulders of his second and third in command, Ennis and Kali, he elaborated. "A little more than a year ago a dark druid roamed freely in this charming little town. There were murders, but since the police wrote them off as killings from a psychopath, you did not even look into them, too absorbed in your little money-making problem. Well, since you were too wrapped up in your own affairs, someone else had to step up to deal with the darach's ritual sacrifices to the Nemeton."

Shrugging, as if this was of utter unimportance, he continued, "Of course this dark druid was only after me and she knew exactly how to get me here. The end-result was … well, let's say elevating for some of the participants, gut wrenching for others."

Ennis and Kali did not even try to hold back their condescending snickers, and though Talia was gutted by them, Deucalion acted as if nothing had happened.

Gathering her strength, Talia shook her head. "If what you are saying is true, I would have known about this!"

"Really?" The demon wolf was upon her, faster than anybody could react. His claws cut Talia's skin when he choked her. The pack was nervous, indecisive as to what to do when facing such strong opponents and Talia was in no shape to utter a command. Derek and Peter exchanged a concerned look and both knew what the other was thinking. In their new pack, no wolf would have hesitated for a second to tear apart an attacker who so much as touched one of their Alphas, let alone drew blood.

Slowly, the sun-glasses that had shaded the formerly blind man's eyes were pulled away and the Alpha of the Hale-pack was forced to meet blazing but clear red eyes. "Tell me, dear Talia, do you notice anything different about me since from the last time we met?"

"But you were," Talia forced out from between clenched teeth. "How's this possible?"

"Despite you being occupied, I was lucky to find other people who were willing to help me. True I used unfair means of persuasion and it lost me two members of my pack, but as you see, I have managed to increase my numbers again. All I needed were twelve short months." Deucalion sneered, letting go of Talia so abruptly that the Alpha staggered. "One of the wolves who helped me, even ascended to true Alpha that night."

Seeing the understanding in the Alpha's face, the demon wolf pressed on, "Tell me, Talia, do you really have no idea who might have kept the peace in your territory when you were so obsessed with your shady business that you couldn't care less about the lives that were at stake?"

Taken by surprise, Talia regained her footing, when Peter offered his hand. For once not too proud to accept help. "You were there? You saw him ascend? How?"

As this was news for Peter too, he stayed beside his sister, supporting her against the demon wolf, even though he knew that it would do little good. The Hale Pack composed of only two Alphas, Talia and himself. In the end, should they be attacked, none of them would survive. Yet still, Peter only felt sad on Derek's behalf. He had lost everything in the fire and though Lydia had been someone … Derek had a real chance with Stiles. It troubled Peter to see him lose it.

Taking a step back, claiming a place half between his pack and the Hales, the werewolf shook his head when recalling. "By the most unbelievable yet only mean possible: through love."

When a few of the werewolves sneered, the demon wolf shook his head, explaining softly, "I may have unwisely chosen his mother to ensure his support. The darach, Jennifer Blake chose his best friend to reach the same goal. Due to unfavorable circumstances both ended in a circle of mountain ash, beyond his reach. Yet when the danger for the two became imminent, he called upon forces far beyond his own and gathered enough power to break the circle saving them both.

"We came to an agreement that night, after I had slashed the darach's throat. The conflict had wounded me and my pack greatly, had made two members abandon me. Yet instead of striking me down when he got the chance, he let me live."

Encompassing their entire surroundings with a wide gesture, he continued, "He let me live and I build up my pack again. I swore to stay out of his territory, but I never promised the same to you. Clearly you have neglected your duties, and now I have come to relief you of them. Keep your little house in the woods, but from this day on, your territory is mine!"

"NEVER!" Eyes blazing red, Talia shifted, ready to strike when a calm voice interrupted their interaction.

"You know, though it might be entertaining to see the two of you at each other's throats, I would really like you to reconsider, Duke."

~ * ~

In all truth, the Stilinski-McCall pack had needed very little preparations for this night. On the evening Stiles had shared the knowledge of a pending attack, nearly a week ago, things had already been arranged to Stiles and Scott's liking. Therefore, the Alpha's calm attitude had not been for show.

Now Stiles was leaning against a tree, not far from a barn he had very few fond memories of, eying the two Alpha-wolves from a safe distance. Since this would be a wolf-conflict, it had been Scott's decision what they would do. But the solution Stiles could offer had been to the true Alpha's liking. Therefore, Stiles was a picture of tranquillity in his white suit that reflected the moonlight, and the blood-red dress shirt underneath.

Lydia, in a short skirt with a starched white blouse and a red vest was leaning on the other side of the tree, her attire a perfect match for Stiles'. Alison, armed and armoured, claimed a place next to the leader of her family, her bow readied with an arrow was not yet drawn. Danny, who had chosen only leather trousers, appeared beside Lydia with a bare chest and bare feet. The wolves all had gone for dark leather trousers, sturdy boots and matching vests, yes even Erica who was accentuating her breasts nicely with a corset, but nothing more.

Stiles looked from the unbelieving Talia to the demon wolf and back again. His voice was free of any emotion and quiet, since every wolf in a hundred feet radius would understand him easily. "Though you have made it very clear of what you think of me and my family by cutting ties to us after New Year, Talia, two members of my pack would be quite upset to see you harmed or dead. So I am willing to offer a solution for this conflict that won't end in bloodshed."

Both the human Alpha as well as Lydia gazed at their respective Hale wolves and with a small sigh, Derek kissed both of his sisters before joining his boyfriend. Peter looked from his new Alpha to his old one and mirrored Derek's gesture, before taking his leave. As expected, Danny shifted, making room beside Lydia.

Once the pack had closed ranks, Stiles stated, "By all means, fight the Hales, Deucalion, if you think the surrounding woods so appealing. But I would like to remind you that the town belongs to me, and you will have a much harder time defeating my pack if you try to claim it."

~ * ~

Slightly taken aback by this open display of support, the demon wolf gathered his bearing by quickly calculating the new numbers, but since only one Alpha had joined them, odds were still in his favour. So he crossed his arms and asked, "And why would you help the Hale pack? Is that little boy-toy Talia had offered really worth the effort? I could offer you a loan to buy him back, so he properly belongs to you."

Derek had tensed at these words. Though he knew that Stiles had feelings for him, that he loved him, it was still hard to hear how he had started with the Stilinski-McCall pack. He had been nothing but a payment in place of four million dollars. Yet Stiles did not allow these bleak thoughts to take root in Derek's mind. Pulling him close when Derek joined the pack again, kissing him for all wolves to see, Stiles smiled at him affectionately, before returning his attention to Deucalion.

"Derek is not payment, he is my partner. And you are changing the subject. Make a decision, Duke! Fight the Hale-pack. If you win, the woods are yours. But the town will never be. If you lose I will make your life a lot harder in San Francisco because you hurt my partner's family. Yet if you are open for a diplomatic approach, I am willing to talk to you about, let's say San Jose and all the cities in between. The wolves are your territory but if you work with humans, sooner or later you have to deal with me. I think it would be much more lucrative for the both of us if we could concede to a peaceful solution."

Sneering at this boy, Deucalion started, "And why would I," before interrupting himself because he could hear someone approaching.

His wolves noticed as well and immediately started to form a protective circle. No matter who joined them, they should be of no concern to an Alpha pack. Those approaching however were.

Facing Stiles, a group of hunters, led by Chris Argent, stepped into the clearing. They were not many, half a dozen at most, but every wolf could smell the wolfsbane and several whined nervously.

Instinctively the wolves tried to pull back, but a soft reprehensive sound at their backs made them whip around. Two dozen people stood at their backs, dressed in various forms of clothing from modern to colonial. When the wolves finally faced them, they allowed red to bleed into their eyes, black veins spread over their face, centring on the eyes. They even grew canines, resembling those of werewolves. A breath taking blonde woman stood at the front. She had tilted her head, making the soft rebuking sound until all the wolves were frozen in their track. Sweetly she said, "I belief Mr. Stilinski is still expecting an answer."

Roaring in fury that this situation having gotten so far out of hand, Deucalion demanded to know. "Who are you?"

Yet Stiles was the one to respond. His words were soft, contradicting the rage of his potential business partner. "They are those under my care. People I treat well. So they come when I call upon them."

Crossing the clearing, leaving his pack behind, something that clearly made his wolves uneasy, Stiles approached Deucalion until he was standing eye to eye with the demon wolf. "Business partners are important. I am offering to be yours. Take the offer, Duke, and I promise we will both come out of this on top."

Aware that he could not win this conflict, might even risk getting killed, but still unable to give in that easily, he had to keep face in front of his pack, he demanded, "San Jose, Los Angeles and all the way down to San Diego and the Mexican border. If you can give that to me we have a deal."

Turning his head towards his pack, leaving his jugular and neck unprotected in good faith, Stiles looked at Lydia. When the girl nodded, he turned around with a grin, offering his hand. "The Mexican border and everything that lies beyond belongs to the Desert Wolf. But if you are willing to work with the both of us, twenty months and South California is yours."

With but a moment's hesitation, Deucalion took the offered hand. "Deal."

With that handshake the tension lifted. After a few chosen words, Stiles and Deucalion agreed to meet in San Francisco in two days to discuss strategy.

~ * ~

The vampires had left as quietly as they had come and after a brief handshake from Stiles and Alison the hunters left as well, leaving only the Hale and the Stilinski-McCall pack on the clearing.

Peter was the first one to approach Stiles, asking flabbergasted, "You never planned to let them fend for themselves."

Shaking his head at his newest pack-member, Stiles relaxed into Derek's strong arms, his boyfriend had the comforting tendency to become very touchy when Stiles had been in danger. "Of course not, Peter, they …"

Yet he did not get the chance to finish that sentence, because Talia approached him. She seemed torn between anger and gratitude. Well aware that this night could have ended with the eradication of her entire pack, yet irritated because Stiles had barged into her affairs without even having the courtesy of informing her beforehand. "Why the hell did you interfere?"

Turning towards Talia, while placing a calming hand on Isaac's arm, his enforcer did not like someone jumping at his face like that, Stiles told the Hale siblings, "Because whether you like it or not Alpha Hale, with Derek and Peter in my pack, you are family by association. And I don't leave my family hanging. And after all: this is my town, I know what's going on."

Taken aback by this verbal slap, Talia could only stagger, but not come up with an adequate answer.

Stiles looked at Peter and asked softly, "Do you want to join your sister and explain our 'company policy' to her? Maybe she would benefit from our view of how family is supposed to act."

Looking first at his sister, then at Stiles, at Lydia and Aiden, who stood arm in arm beside him, both ready to reach out should he join them, at Derek and the true Alpha who was calming his boyfriend while his girlfriend still looked guarded and the members of his old family, he smiled and shook his head. "No, I think we have demonstrated to Talia how this family acts in a moment of crisis. If she wants to know more," turning towards her he concluded, "you have my number."

And with that Lydia, Aiden and Peter departed from the clearing. The rest of the pack followed until only Stiles, Scott, Derek and Talia remained. Looking at his partner's mother, Stiles tried to reach out once again. "You have all of our numbers. You chose to severe business ties with us, Talia, that was not my decision. I love your son and he loves me. I would wish there was a way for the two of us to live and work together. The way it had been when dad was still alive. But you have to make the first step. Because while I have your back, I won't run after you just for the sake of a business opportunity I don't really need."

It might be a harsh stab, alright it was one, but Stiles really couldn't get over how Talia was treating her family, her own children. He had seen Laura and Cora looking at both Peter and Derek most anxiously, but in the end they had decided to stay with their mother. Stiles wanted nothing more than to give them a chance for happiness. But they had to want it first, a leap of faith was necessary, these girls did not seem to be ready to take. As long as they were loyal to Talia, there was nothing he could do for them apart from keeping them alive through such a crisis.

When they returned home, most of the pack had used the chance to run, one of them to fly, they fell into their beds much relieved that every member of their family – close and extended – were safe now.

~ * ~

After about an hour there was a soft knock on Stiles' bedroom door. When Stiles rose and found Peter at the other side. The werewolf clearly was at war with himself, yet found not the right words to express himself. In the end he forced out, "Thank you, for helping my sister. And sorry … for misjudging you."

Smiling, Stiles stilled the wolf's fidgeting with a hand on Peter's arm. "It's alright, Peter."

"No it's not!" Peter contradicted him, nearly pulling back his arm in reflex before catching himself, remaining within touching distance. "I …"

Sighing slightly, the human stated quietly. "Yes, Peter. It really is."

Making a small gesture around the house, the boy continued. "I know the people I welcome in my family and that includes you. I know what happened to you, what you lost." When the werewolf tensed, Stiles tentatively reached out again. Gently placing his hand on Peter's shoulder. "I also know, that – no matter how hard it is for you to believe – the wolves in this house, those you have bitten; they want you here. Not because you are such an asset or have such a charming personality, but because you are you. With all the edges and corners that make you. They love you, because you gave them a chance for a better life and you will have to do a great many things to lose that love."

"They can't …," the werewolf contradicted his Alpha, pulling back again, because the greater the distance, the easier it was for him to trick himself into thinking that maybe he had overheard a stutter in Stiles' heartbeat when he spoke about the love these kids had for him.

"Yet they do." The human shook his head. "It's alright Peter. It's alright that you do not trust us. Give us time. Sooner or later we will be able to make you understand that you – and those you care about – are important to us. That we care about you, with all our hearts."

When Peter just stood there, mulled over words he wanted, but right now couldn't belief to be true, Stiles tilted his head and smiled, retreating to his bedroom. "Goodnight, Peter."

He listened to the werewolf approaching the door to Stiles' old room. He heard him hesitating before turning around, entering Lydia and Aiden's room just down the hall. Peter might not be ready to believe them but that didn't matter. They had all the time in the world.

~ * ~


	28. Domesticated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when an Alpha, thinks his wolves too domesticated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Though I am on holiday, my betareaders and I managed to get another chapter ready for you. I hope you will enjoy it.

After that, life got boring.

Sure they had quarrels with ambitious dealers and aloft hookers who decided that they were above their rules. They had to concern themselves with theft and people who tried to barge into their territory. But with Talia finally coming around, taking care of a foreign wolf-pack, a pixie invasion and some kind of wendigo-creature that roamed the woods around Beacon Hills, the Stilinski-McCall pack only had to care about their own business for the first time since Scott had been bitten.

With Deucalion's help, business flourished. They had met with the Demon Wolf in San Francisco and had started further negotiations with the Desert Wolf. Lydia had come up with a slow but fool-proof plan to requisition the towns from central to south California within a year. The Duke gathered more followers, wolf and human alike and except one small standoff, where the pack had come to a negotiation armed with wolfs-bane bullets, the demon wolf had heeded their agreement. He had not apologized for his attempt to rob them of their territory, but neither Stiles nor Scott had expected him to. He was a cold-hearted bastard but had pulled back easily in the end, because all parties were aware that he owed Scott.

Before they knew it, it was the anniversary of Derek joining their pack. The werewolf was confused when he found a black bracelet of polished steel on his breakfast plate on Saturday morning. He could feel the magic it held when holding it in his palm. Derek was about to return to the kitchen, where the rest of the pack was preparing breakfast to ask about it, when two slender arms wrapped around him from behind. Before the wolf could turn around, a smaller bracelet was placed inside his own. The two were similar in making and looked identical. The feeling of powerful magic only increased when the two bracelets touched.

Brushing his lips over Derek's shoulder, Stiles whispered, "I was wondering if … well, you have been with us for a year now. And I thought that maybe …"

Derek turned around and took a long look at his boyfriend, whose cheeks were turning red. Sometimes the werewolf forgot how very young his human Alpha actually was; how little experience Stiles had with long lasting relationships. Not that Derek was any wiser. His one long-lasting relationship had ended with … resolutely Derek pushed that thought away. Now was not the time to dwell on that. Gently brushing his fingers over his partner's chin, forcing Stiles to meet his eyes and stop rambling, Derek chuckled, "Are you asking me if I want to go steady with you?"

Taking a deep breath, Stiles called himself a fool. He had spent many evenings at Deaton's finishing these bracelets. In his everyday life he was responsible for so many people. Still he felt like the teenager he was, when facing Derek, talking about their relationship. Looking into his werewolf's beautiful eyes, Stiles whispered, "When you woke up in that hospital I told you that I love you. But I also told you that I would let you go, should you find somebody else, someone better suited for you …"

Derek interrupted Stiles with a kiss, because his boyfriend was so very stupid. "I told you that there is no one better suited for me. I love you, Stiles, and I have been steady with you ever since you put that first collar on me, and the second, even when you took it off. I would love to wear these, just because you made them."

"But you don't even know what they do?" Stiles reminded Derek. "There is strong magic woven into them. It could be harmful."

Derek breathed against Stiles adorable nose, "I trust you," before putting the bracelet on. Pain laced through his body for a heartbeat and he dug his fingers into the human's shoulders. When Stiles reached for his own, Derek could see the teenager's face contorting in pain as well before both relaxed. Looking at the band, Derek noticed that it was now solid. Shaking off the pain he asked curiously, "You enjoy putting bands on me I can't remove, do you?"

With a low chuckle, Stiles presented his own wrist. His bracelet had sealed itself as well. He pulled on it experimentally before holding his hand out to Derek. "Take it off."

"But how should I?" the werewolf pondered. The band looked solid enough, too strong for him to tear it apart without hurting Stiles.

With a small smile, Stiles prompted him again, "Just try."

Confused, Derek put his fingers on the metal and the moment he pried on it, it came off on its own. Looking at it, holding it against the light, he glanced at Stiles in amazement until the boy explained. "It's a … well, the bracelets are a beacon. Should we ever get separated, we can find each other, no matter where we are. No matter if we are under or above ground, surrounded by nature, concrete or wood. Wind the chain of the scrying-crystal around the bracelet and you will be able to find me. The same goes the other way around. With enough magic you won't even need a crystal. You should be able to sense the direction I am."

"You made us magical locator beacons? Jewels nobody but us can take off?" Derek looked at the spark with stunned amazement. He knew that Stiles still had nightmares about Derek's abduction and his time at the hospital. During the last seven months Derek had woken more than once to his partner's pained cries at night. When Derek had had business to conduct in San Jose once, Scott had told him afterwards that Stiles had barely slept at all, despite the pack taking turns sleeping by his side. But being the boy he was, the teenager had not wallowed his fears but had done something about them. Stiles' nightmares had receded over the last few weeks and now Derek knew why.

When Stiles reached for Derek's bracelet, to show that it opened the same way, the werewolf covered the long fingers with his own and shook his head. "Leave it. I like the idea of locator beacons. That way I can catch you, should you ever try to run from me."

"Why should I ever try to run from you?" Stiles asked.

Derek only chuckled. "Because I'm a wolf and I enjoy a good hunt."

Smiling brilliantly, because both could imagine the outcome of such a chase, Stiles pondered. "Well, maybe we should do something about that. We wouldn't want your sharp senses getting rusty because you are always using cars nowadays."

With a low growl, Derek pulled Stiles closer, nipping at his jaw. "Are you calling me domesticated?"

"Well," Stiles wiggled in Derek's arms. "If the shoe fits?"

The growl got louder but was soon drowned by Stiles' giggles because Derek was teasing the sensitive skin of his neck with his sharp canines. Stiles was tempted to trap the wolf in a circle of mountain-ash to get a head-start. Melissa would free him in a minute anyway, but she chose that very moment to enter the dining room, carrying a plate full of sizzling bacon.

The smell of breakfast put the idea of a hunt out of Stiles' mind. Yet the idea stuck and a little while after breakfast, he held council with his fellow human and demonic pack-members. The full moon would be tomorrow night and since they were on good terms with Talia again, maybe they could risk running in the woods? They would have to find a way to split the territory so that they wouldn't disturb the Hales, but they all liked the idea of challenging their wolves to a treasure hunt with them as treasures. They could not outrun them, but they were resourceful. They would find a way to make it challenging.

~ * ~

The next night they all huddled up in the cinema like always. Lydia was the first to get up, leaving Aiden and Peter leaning against each other, starring at the bright explosions on the screen. Danny was next, nudging his boyfriend to join his twin, excusing himself. Allison excused herself, leaving her boyfriends behind, pretending to go to the ladies room. Stiles was last and when he emerged from his room not five minutes later, wearing nothing but worn jeans and a partially torn shirt, Danny and the girls grinned at him. The incubus had chosen a pair of dark leather trousers that did amazing things for his ass. Allison too had jeans that were close to indecent and a top that barely qualified as a bra, let alone covered enough of her chest to not get her arrested for public indecency. Lydia was … well, for her own standards she looked positively ragged. But the high boots combined with an artfully torn skirt and a blouse that barely had enough fabric left to cover her chest made her look like every boy's wet dream come true.

When Danny and Stiles raised their eyebrows at her, she threw her ponytail over her shoulder, pointing out indignantly, "Well, we all know what will happen to the clothes we wear once our wolves find us. I refuse to wear something salvageable."

"Your wolves?" Stiles asked, "Are you including Peter?" Thinking about the risk a free-running werewolf could pose to a woman as fragile as Lydia, Stiles all of a sudden doubted their plan. "Lyds, if you think that Peter is too much of a risk …"

Brushing away Stiles' concerns, Lydia assured the Alpha, "Peter knows exactly how far he can go. He knows that Aiden is my partner and won't risk challenging his wolf. We are …," huffing she shook her head. "You know, this is none of your concern, Stiles Stilinski. I thought you said our ride would be here at nine."

Pulling Lydia's fingers to his lips, brushing an adoring kiss over them before placing the girl's hand on his elbow, Stiles gestured towards the front of the house. "Your carriage is ready for you, my queen. Everything shall commerce as planned."

Danny, all chevalier, offered his own elbow to Allison with a deep bow, and together the four left the house.

Jasper had agreed to pick them up with a car he had just used for another client. That would mask their scent to some extent and when they entered the limousine Lydia wrinkled her nose. "Who do you drive, frat boys?"

Spills of alcohol covered the floor. But not champagne or whiskey, as most adults who paid for a limousine would prefer, but cheap sparkly wine and beer, saturated the air in the car.

"High School students," Jasper grinned. "What better to mask your scent than teenage hormones?"

When they were around two corners, both Danny and Stiles opened their windows. Danny inhaled flatly. "We should have used herbal bombs or meat packages. That would have been less obnoxious."

Chuckling under his breath, Stiles asked his demon, "Did you just really suggest that we throw packages of raw meat on our lawn to distract our werewolf boyfriends?"

Danny only shrugged before they started to discuss one last time the route they were about to take. They would enter the woods in the south, pass trees and a stream and Danny would even carry them a short distance. It was unfair but the four had faith that their wolves would find them.

~ * ~

The moon was already high in the sky when the first movie was through and the pack realized that their humans had not returned. They decided to investigate, not overly concerned because their Alpha didn't seem bothered. Stiles had told Scott that he had planned something, but for once his brother from another mother had not shared any details. Still the wolf smelled no distress but giddy joy in the house, so they took their time looking through their rooms.

After a few moments, they all returned to the hall, each bringing strange items to show. Liam was playing with a juggling ball he had found on his pillow and compared it to the soft, chew-toy Ethan had gathered. Erica and Boyd emerged from their room. She held a pink collar with sparkling stones and Boyd a matching lash. Ethan and Peter both had a squeaky toy-bone and Isaac and Scott found soft, cuddly dog-blankets with little bones printed all over them.

Everybody was looking at each other in confusion, until Derek emerged from his and Stiles' bedroom laughing out loud. He held a dog-bed, clearly intended for a terrier or an even smaller brand of dog. It was all stuffed and soft and had the words "Derek" written on the label at the front. "Domesticated my ass!" The werewolf growled, looking at the pack with shining blue eyes, when they gazed at him in bewilderment.

"Stiles called me domesticated just yesterday. Told me that I couldn't find him in a proper hunt, hence he gave me this," holding up his hand that showed the bracelet. Of course the rest of the pack knew about the new magic item Stiles had exhausted himself making. They also had listened in on their conversation … discreetly.

Grinning wolfishly, Peter pondered, "So we are supposed to give chase?" He rolled his head on his shoulders, calling forth the change that was much stronger, more painful but infinitely more joyous on a full moon than it was during the rest of the month.

Showing his teeth, red eyes nearly illuminating the corridor, Scott growled excited, "Let's hunt ourselves some humans."

~ * ~

It was glorious. There really was no other word.

When the pack, half transformed, had thundered down the stairs, Melissa had just entered the house. Lucky her, she was not on duty tonight, looking forward to a relaxing evening at home. When facing the entire wolf-pack, she merely chuckled and opened the door again. It was dark already, so the chances for someone noticing something strange were pretty slim. When the wolves barged out she whistled after them. As one, the pack stopped and turned towards her. With a benevolent smile, she pointed south, laughing when her kids scrambled over each other trying to change direction.

Of course Stiles had let her in on the plan. He had wanted a head-start but not for their wolves to be alone for too long on an emotionally charged night as this. Had the pack not noticed their absence by now, Melissa would have pointed it out. But as it where, she could take a hot bath, have some maybe not entirely healthy food and enjoy a romance flick on the TV she would never admit to watching were the kids around.

The pack was running. There were no scents to go by, for now it was all eagerness and energy that egged them on. But when they entered the woods the wolves slowed down, scenting the air, spreading out, searching for a trail of their mates. Lucky for them, the humans had decided to stay together. Danny had suggested separating but since they were in the territory of another pack, Stiles had not wanted to risk it. So the wolves could stay within each other's line of sight, enjoying a late-night run through the woods. Their scent was thick in the air and the wolves were drawn by it.

A stream slowed them down for a while because the trail vanished in the water. After nearly half an hour Ethan captured Danny's pheromones and off they were again at top speed. Derek and Peter – familiar with these woods – stayed close to Scott right from the beginning. They were not overly worried that their family would find them. Stiles would not lead them into danger.  But running with their new pack, their new family, sensing the pack-bond, was more than any of the two could have ever hoped for. With the Hale's they had gone for a run on the full moon, but it had been a hunt for food, to enjoy a feast when they came back home. It had been every wolf for him- or herself. But with these teenagers they ran just for fun, surrounded by people they cared about, maybe even loved.

In the middle of a clearing the trail went cold. The humans were nowhere to be seen, yet their trail stopped. After a few moments of confusion, Ethan's amused laugh made the pack turn towards him. They followed his gaze into the air where millions of stars illuminated the night sky beside a brilliant full moon and mirrored his laugh at his one-word explanation: "Danny."

Of course, the incubus had the capacity to fly and since none of their humans were very heavy, he could carry them, at least a short distance, easily. Yet it apparently was enough for the wolves not to be able to pick up their scent again. They were discussing how to best go on and Scott was currently dividing the pack into small groups to search for their trail, when Derek looked at his wrist. Stiles had told him that with enough magic, Derek would not need a map and a crystal to find him. And when was there more magic coursing through a werewolf's veins than on the night of a full moon?

Deciding that it was worth a shot, Derek called for the others. "I may have an idea." He held up his wrist, showing the bracelet.

Liam was the first to approach him. The boy was eager to get moving again, but knew as much as everybody else that it would be of no use to run randomly into any direction. "You think you can find our Alpha with it?"

Shrugging, Derek told him, "Stiles thought so."

They formed a circle, holding hands, nobody minded the claws picking at their skins. Derek felt strong. The sense of pack washed through them, amplified though the physical contact burning like a pyre in the best way possible. When he looked up he saw that Peter felt it as well. For these children, this ragtag family of abandoned teenagers this was normal, the way a family was supposed to work. Being connected, caring about the other, but for Derek and Peter this was special. A gift they had never imagined receiving and when Derek closed his eyes again, concentrating on the pack-bond all he needed was one thought: Stiles.

There was a beacon, not far from them, burning brighter than the light of a full moon, warmer and far more compelling. The feeling was like the sun and the moon and the stars because the source of the beacon was love personified for every last member of this pack. Stiles would die for every single one of them them and they all knew it. That inspired a loyalty unparalleled in their world, connecting them to each other and most importantly to Stiles. With but a moment's hesitation Derek was off, running through the woods, the pack hot on his heels.

In barely five minutes they reached the bottom of a small cliff, fifteen feet high tops. The scent of their humans was there but faint and the wolves scrambled around, eager to find them. A small chuckle, carried down by the wind made them look up, finally spotting their prey. Stiles was standing at the very top, looking down at them with pride. Lydia and Allison were on either side of him, and Derek could sense their girls partners growling with desire. Danny was crouched by Stiles' leg, half wrapped around the teenager, his body black, completely transformed.

It was a sight of their boundless trust that the girls stepped to the edge, letting themselves fall forward, not a single doubt in their minds that their wolves would catch them. Of course Scott and Isaac, as well as Aiden and Peter did so, wrapping around the girls, scenting them rubbing all over them in a heartbeat. Stiles chose a more dramatic approach. When Danny rose, the teenager let the incubus carry them down. The moment the two reached the forest floor Stiles was surrounded by pack. They all touched him and scented him, triumphant that they had finally found him.

Their second full moon out of the house and they all rejoiced in the freedom it brought.

~ * ~


	29. The Hale Pack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feast with the Hales. (It's all Stiles' fault ;).)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We still are on the night of the full moon. And all the wolves are having fun.

The pack crowded on the clearing for a scant few minutes before Isaac dragged Alison and Scott around the corner of the boulder. Aiden followed the example, taking Lydia's hand, going into the other direction. Peter was following them as if pulled by an invisible lash. Erica pulled Boyd down to the floor and Danny swept Ethan into his arms and returned to the top of the boulder. The incubus enjoyed the idea of having nearly everybody within his line of sight. Tonight he would gorge himself on the passion of his pack.

Derek was nervous and jittery. Every part of his wolf told him to touch, to claim, even when he knew that he was not in the position to do so. He belonged to Stiles, heart, body and soul and had to wait for his human, his Alpha to make the first move. The teenager seemed oblivious to the tension in the air. He started strolling into the woods until he reached a big, old tree.

Turning around, the look in Stiles eyes nearly made the werewolf's topple over his own feet. The gaze was pure seduction and Derek was unable to rein himself in any longer. With a guttural growl he crowded Stiles against the tree, tore at the teenager's shirt, burying his face in the skin he revealed.

Enjoying his lover's passion, the boy arched back, pressed his naked chest against his wolf and grinded against him. Ever since the pack had reached the clearing, Danny's pheromones had spiked, the promise of imminent sex too strong for him to resist. That, combined with the fact that Derek had only worn dark jeans and little else, had had Stiles hot and bothered in no time and now that he finally felt blessed friction against his cock, he arched against his wolf, needing more.

For a few moments they were grinding against each other, tasting, licking, kissing, sloppy, hungry, perfect! Stiles felt his peak drawing nearer, an explosion of passion pending and he downright growled when Derek pulled back.

Though Derek enjoyed his partner's pliancy, it was not nearly enough to satisfy his needs. Stiles' intoxicating scent was overwhelming yet not enough. The moment he had a little room, the werewolf sank to his knees in front of his lover and buried his face in Stiles' still clothed crotch. His claws made it impossible for him to ease away the fabric that confined his prize. Frowning at his hands Derek pleadingly looked up at his human when Stiles chuckled lowly, opening the buttons of his jeans one by one. He was not fast enough, but ripping the trousers apart would not have been fast enough for Derek's current state of mind. So he tried to be patient until Stiles' cock sprang free.

Mindful of his teeth, he bounced forward and swallowed Stiles down. The teenager's shout echoed through the night, evoking a blissful howl from the other members of his pack. Derek knew what his boyfriend liked by now, so he needed but a few short moments to have Stiles spill into his mouth. The teenager was panting heavily above him when the wolf licked at his most sensitive part, eager to reach every last drop.

Stiles had to blink a few times to regain his bearings. The first orgasm and the joy his pack felt during the full moon was heady and nearly overwhelming for the spark. He felt Danny's pull and when he lifted his head, he could see his incubus dark wings against the night-sky, huge and majestic, despite kneeling over Ethan. Oh yes, their demon could drink his fill as well tonight, he would come out of it stronger than anyone could imagine. Stiles instinctively latched on to the energy surrounding him, storing it away like his grandmother had told him he could. When looking down at his wolf, he found Derek all hot and bothered at his feet. The wolf had opened his trousers as well, the dark material painfully constricting his rock-hard cock. Yet instead of aiming for relief, Derek looked up at Stiles, waiting for directions.

The wolf nearly was in control. The pelt on Derek's face and his burning blue eyes were a clear tell. But still, his lover waited for him to make a decision. Well, Stiles had made it days ago, so he scratched Derek's neck comfortingly to calm him down a little. Stiles revelled in the way his wolf leaned into the caress. A year ago, the werewolf had been but a loan, scared of his position in a family he had known nothing about. Nevertheless, he had caught a bullet for Stiles on their first evening. His devotion had been out of the question right from the beginning and tonight he would get his reward.

So slowly, teasingly, Stiles toed off his shoes and shed his jeans. He could see the admiration in his boyfriend's gaze when he looked up, barely holding back his need to touch, to claim, to take. Well, tonight he wouldn't have to. Slowly, oh so slowly, Stiles turned around, allowing Derek to watch his front, before presenting his enticing backside. Immediately the wolf bounded closer, whining under his breath, but still not daring to touch. Such strength, such restraint, Stiles truly was blessed to have him.

Steadying himself against the rough bark of the tree, Stiles looked over his shoulder, capturing Derek's gaze. Huskily, he prompted, "Come on. We both know you want this. I'm all yours."

The teenager had expected an attack; to be pushed against the bark of the tree, being forced to stand his ground against the strength of a shifted wolf. However, Derek's touch was slow, almost reverent when he reached for Stiles' skin. His fingers were shaking as if he couldn't believe that he was allowed to touch and for a few minutes, all the werewolf did was caress Stiles' backside, his thighs, his back, inhaling deeply the scent that was unique to his partner.

"Come on, big guy. I'm not going to break."

Derek's touch, his tongue on Stiles' backside was still hesitant. The werewolf seemed afraid that Stiles would change his mind any second. But the longer the teenager stood unmoving, allowing his partner to savour him, the bolder the werewolf got. Stiles cursed the need for self-restraint because since the first touch of Derek's soft lips he had wanted to push back, to demand attention his body was craving desperately. But tonight was for Derek, so they would go at the wolf's pace.

Derek had the mind to change back before sinking his finger into Stiles body, and he nearly howled at the blissful feeling of his human surrounding him. But soon it was not enough and the first finger was followed by a second and a third. Derek pulled Stiles' discomfort, any potential pain, because he wanted his partner to enjoy this as much as he did. And before long fingers were not enough either. Stiles snarled for Derek to get on with it, evoked a quiet chuckle from the wolf.

When his human looked over his shoulder, eyes burning with need, Derek was amazed that such a beautiful person had chosen him over all the other people available. "Get on with it, wolf boy or I will do it myself!"

Always so demanding …

Eager to follow this demand, Derek didn't hesitate for a second, he was teetering at the edge of his control. With a low growl, he straightened behind Stiles and shed his trousers. Covering Stiles body from behind, burying his face in his partner's neck, Derek rubbed himself against the teenager, slicking Stiles' backside with the copious amounts of precum he was leaking.

When they made love in the bedroom, lubricant was available, but here, in the woods, they had to be a little more creative. When Stiles snarled again, Derek eased his way into his body and at Stiles insistent shove back, he couldn't swallow the howl when he buried balls-deep in his lover.

Derek had been on top before, many times actually because he had always had an intense dislike of bottoming after Kate. But this, this was different. Being joined with Stiles, the feelings that filled Derek at this union were as different from his former lovers as a new moon was from a blue moon. This was so much better, filling Derek's heart with everything that was Stiles, leaving no room for anything else.

His claws embedded in the bark beside Stiles' head, hurting the tree because he had to hold on to something or he would get washed away by the overwhelming sensation. His Alpha's fingers on his nape, lovingly scratching over the furry skin, combined with whispers of sweet nonsense brought Derek back enough to give a few hesitant trusts. Stiles leaned back against him, putting his head on Derek's shoulder, presenting his unprotected neck broke Derek's restraint. Nearly completely transformed, Derek reached around his human's waist. He pulled the teenager away from the tree and shoved him down to the soft forest floor. Arms caging the lean body, the werewolf started to fuck him in earnest and despite the sheer brutality of the act, Stiles' noises of approval egged him on.

Derek wanted more, wanted everything. The heat and the smell of Stiles surrounding him made this union a singular experience. When he felt his orgasm approaching, he buried his sharp teeth in Stiles' neck, claiming the last of him that had not belonged to the wolf.

The pain, combined with the pleasure seemed to push Stiles over the edge as well, because after only a few rough strokes of his cock, the teenager spilled, barely a moment after he had had Derek's hot seed filling him.

When Derek came back to his senses, the first thing he smelled was Stiles' blood, since the wound was right in front of his face. Whining pitifully, the werewolf started to lick it, despite knowing that this was not the proper way to deal with a bite.

Sinking to the side, taking Derek with him, Stiles giggled when they found a comfortable position on the forest floor, high on endorphins and sex. "Don't worry, big guy. I've had worse."

Burying his face in Stiles neck, ashamed of his lack of restraint, Derek whispered, "I'm sorry. I couldn't help it. I should have …"

"Hey," Stiles wiggled free from Derek's vice-like grip, turning in his lover's arms. "It's alright. I promise." Lovingly brushing his fingertips over Derek's still prominent canines, Stiles arched up to place a tender kiss on them. "It's okay. I knew what I was getting myself into. I wanted this, so very much. So don't regret it. Please."

Pulling Stiles on top of himself, burying his face in the boy's hair, Derek whispered, "I don't regret it. I could never regret being with you. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me; everything I have ever wanted and everything I never hoped to get. If it were up to me I would broadcast our relationship for the entire world to see."

~ * ~

"Well, you kind of did, little brother." A voice from beside them teased. "Every wolf in a one mile radius will smell how you marked your human tonight."

With a snarl Derek nearly shot up, had Stiles not kept him down by insistently pushing his shoulder, whispering into his ear, "You will stay down, wolf-boy, because I have no intention of flashing your sister my junk!"

A possessive snarl made Laura turn around, presenting her unprotected backside to the pack, leaving Derek and Stiles to put on their jeans and shoes. The rest of the pack was – more or less – clothed as well, when Stiles and Derek stepped back into the clearing with Laura by their side. If the female werewolf found it strange that a demon was carrying a wolf down a cliff, despite said wolf being perfectly able to jump on his own, she didn't mention it. Instead she addressed Scott respectfully, "Alpha McCall, my mother would be honoured if you and your pack would join our full moon feast tonight."

After a brief gaze toward Stiles, because that invitation – combined with their intrusion into the Hale's pack territory – had his best friend's handwriting all over it. After a confirming nod from his co-Alpha, Scott agreed "We would be delighted."

Lydia had been the only one who had refused to step forward, since Aiden had torn her top. Peter shrugged off his mostly intact dress-shirt offering it to the girl. She would be covered in his scent if she wore that now, as much as she smelled of Aiden due to their love-making. But the girl didn't seem too bothered. Clad in the scent of both of her wolves she started running with the others towards the Hale mansion.

~ * ~

The Hales stopped on the lawn of their former home. They remembered the full moons with their family; the hunts, where everybody had cared only for himself. They came empty handed, so Peter and Derek hesitated to join a feast where they could not offer any food. Without a prey you would sit at the dining-table starving, until another wolf took mercy on them and shared his kill. It had been humiliating in the past but they hadn't questioned it. That's just the way hunts worked.

Now it felt like they would choke on the situation. Especially because they had seen how a family was supposed to act, with everybody caring about the other. No matter that the Stilinski-McCall pack acted like a bunch of wolves when sitting down for a meal, they always cared that the food was shared equally and that nobody would stay hungry.

Yet when Talia opened the back-door, eyes burning a bright red, a wave of roasted meat hit them. There was beef and deer from the smell of it, baked potatoes and garlic-bread. Dip and salad and many other delicious dishes overloaded a table where a part of their family had already chosen a seat. Still, nobody had started eating. They were all looking at the pack of teenagers, Derek and Peter had chosen over them.

As one the Hale-pack rose from their seats and stepped out into the back garden. One by one they reached for a member of the neighbouring pack and guided them to their seats. Nobody had forgotten how tight their position had been half a year ago, when facing the demon-wolf. The Stilinski-McCall pack had dipped into their substantial resources to support them and had demanded nothing in return. Now, the day of the first trade, Stiles … Alpha Stilinski had asked for a shared meal. For the first time in forever, their Alpha had asked their opinion and everybody had gone out of their way to provide for their guests.

Laura was the one standing before Derek, offering her hand while Cora approached Peter. Both hesitated only for a second before wrapping themselves around the girls, following them into the house. Talia made an inviting gesture towards both Scott and Stiles and offered them a place on her right side. The left was claimed by her husband as it should be.

The rest of the pack filtered in and in the end, with Stiles and Scott as the only exception, there was always a member of the Hale-pack sitting beside a member of the Stilinski-McCall-pack. Smiling at each other, they all raised their glasses in a wordless toast. There were too many things to say about this new, growing alliance, but tonight was about the wolves and the joy of being with the people that mattered the most. After Talia, Scott and even Stiles had taken their share of food, the rest of the pack started to ravage the dishes. The groans of bliss were enough to tell Stiles how very much his wolves enjoyed the meal.

After a few minutes, Stiles lifted his glass again towards Talia and stated quietly, "Thank you for your invitation. It means a lot to my family."

Cleaning her lips with a napkin, as if she had not just torn into a partial leg of a deer with her canines, Talia nodded in agreement. "I was too proud. I guess it was good that you offered support the way you did, just like family should. I am sure that together we can achieve great things, Alpha Stilinski."

A collective exhale dispelled the last tension the Stilinski-McCall pack had carried. To them it was natural to have two Alphas, but to hear Talia Hale acknowledging Stiles' position was comforting. After that, the two packs started to tease and prod each other a little and the sun was already rising when they were laughing together as if this full-moon feast was a common occurrence and not the first of its kind.

Rooms were offered and Stiles and Scott decided that they would gratefully accept the invitation, too tired, too comfortable and far too full to run home at the moment. Within an hour the dishes from the feast were cleaned or fed to the dish-washer. Every last pack-member had found a soft bed or couch to sleep off the excitement of this month's full moon.

~ * ~

Peter was lying in his old bed, watching the dark shades that kept most of the rising sun out of his room. It was a generous space he had called his own in this house, meant for him and his beloved wife. There even was a small room attached to it that should have belonged to their unborn child. He had never sat foot into it after the fire, the pain too great to look at what he had lost.

Tonight's full moon he had spent both with his new family and his old one. He had joined the teenagers in the treasure hunt, eager to reach Lydia who had escaped both him and Aiden. When Aiden had finally 'captured' their female, the couple had allowed him in their proximity as they did in their bedroom most of the time. Things had been more intimate tonight than the three had been used to, but they had enjoyed it all the same. Peter had felt like he finally belonged, but now, here, in his old room in his old bed, he didn't feel the triumph he had expected.

He had the proof that his new pack accepted him and that his status in his old one was still upheld. He deserved this, as an Alpha loyal to Talia he deserved favoured treatment. Lydia and Aiden had claimed a love-seat in the living room, the boy firmly wrapped around the girl, keeping her on his chest so they could both sleep on the narrow sofa. Yet, despite all the luxury that surrounded him, Peter felt alone and empty without the two of them near.

He was aware that Lydia would never belong to him, so why was he craving her presence? It was ridiculous, something he could never have, because despite the picture Aiden and Lydia presented the world: she was the genius and he was her faithful boyfriend, Peter had learned that there was far less power imbalance in their relationship than everybody assumed at first glance. True, Lydia was the driving force and Aiden nearly docile in his following. But when you looked closer, when you saw how Lydia was watching her partner, how she did countless things every day, be it grand gestures like buying him a new knife when he had laid his eyes on one in the mall or small ones like wearing his favourite skirt or doing her hair the way he liked it, the girl was as inclined to make her wolf as happy as he did in return.

So Peter was well aware that barely a faint suggestion of Aiden was needed for him to be excluded from their lives. If Aiden gave the slightest indication that he didn't want Peter to be a part of their relationship as much as he was now, Lydia would never look at him again. Her devotion to her wolf was absolute.

So why was Peter craving something so fragile? He had taken the things he had set his eyes upon his entire life. His wife had belonged to him and would never have thought of looking at another. She had loved him and he had loved her and losing her had destroyed a part of him. He could never have that with Lydia. The girl already belonged to a wolf so why …

Reaching for the collar around his neck, adjusting it because the clasp had gotten stuck in the soft covers, Peter closed his eyes and called himself a fool. Realization had often hurt him in the past. Like realizing that he wanted more than Talia was willing to give him. Like understanding that the desperate teenagers he had chosen were not strong enough for him to use them as a power base. Like finally seeing how very wrong he had been with the wolves he had created in the first place. But tonight understanding came like a soft exhale, a burden lifting from his chest. And finally he was able to draw breathe again. Lydia would never belong to him but that did not matter.

Rising from his bed, tabbing quietly into the living-room where Erica and Boyd had claimed the couch, Peter silently approached Lydia and Aiden. Placing a soft hand on the wolf's shoulder, he looked into burning blue eyes, before they blinked human again. Carefully, Peter picked up Lydia from Aiden's chest, carrying her to his room, feeling the teenager's hand at the small of his back, steadying him on his way up the stairs.

Aiden pulled back the covers so that Peter could place the genius, human girl in the middle of his generous bed, before sliding under them again, curling into himself next to Lydia. The other wolf looked towards him over his girlfriend's shoulder, reaching for Peter's hand, squeezing it comfortingly before placing it on the girl's hips, securing her between Peter on one side and Aiden on the other. The teenager wrapped his arm around her chest from behind, sinking back to sleep without having made a single sound. Aiden had known all along, and Peter was not even surprised.

Inhaling the smell of the two people most important to him these days, Peter was finally able to relax and drifted into a restful sleep. No, Lydia would never belong to him, she already had a wolf. But that didn't matter, because ever since the beginning of this year Peter belonged to her. To her and Aiden and in finally giving in to that knowledge, he was able to gain a peace he had not known since the night of the fire that had robbed him of his very heart. Maybe, with the help of these two teenagers, he could regain it.

~ * ~

The very same night somewhere in Beacon Hills:

A male voice, sounded uncertain in the darkness, "Do you really think we are ready?"

A somewhat familiar, female voice, answered calm and without any lingering doubt, "We have spent several months preparing for this. We can deal with man and wolf. Believe me, we are ready!"

Doubt was evident when the man spoke again, "We have tried twice. We never succeeded. What makes you think this time will be different?"

"Because, my dear friend," the cold and calculating voice of the woman answered, "this time there is no pretence, no 'official' story to keep in mind. We will pick them off one by one and they won't even know what is coming."

~ * ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm afraid this will be If the last chapter for quite some time. I had a car accident, and broke my hand. Since am currently writing the ending of this story, I don't want to start posting it before its finished. With a broken hand this might take a while. Please be patient with me, I promise it will be worth it, I'm already halfway through.


	30. Danny & Stiles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Beginning of the End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so very much for your patience. I know that I kept you waiting pretty long, but since I am still handicapped, everything needed so much more time. My cast is coming off on the 11th of March. I am so looking forward to that day.
> 
> Since I won't write a note for the other chapters, I want to thank Memprime and Wecantgiggleatacrimescene one last time. They were such supportive and encouraging betareaders. Thank you two so very much for all your help. You made my story so much better.
> 
> One final WARNING before you start. Please read the updated tags. You are - and that's no joke - in for a world of pain, punishment and humiliation. You will get pretty quickly where this is heading, just, if the dark stuff is too much for you, skip the parts in italic. The story is worth reading even without them. But they are as dark as this story ever got.  
> It's Saturday, so I post this ending all in one go, please collect a fluffy blanket a stuffed toy of your choice and maybe some hot chocolate. Believe me, you will need them.
> 
> Thank you all for your love, good wishes and support. It was a joy to make this journey with you.
> 
> Love Anchanee

It had hurt, so very much. The pain had been so much that by now Danny's entire body was consumed by it. The boy wanted to move, but his sore limbs protested far too much to try. His head was spinning from a sickly sweet smell so he simply closed his eyes again, hoping that his headache would be gone when he woke up.

_When the incubus came around again, he found himself snuggled between his pack-members. A movie was playing in their home-cinema but he couldn't make out what it was. Hunger was gnawing at his very soul and before he could make a conscious choice, Ethan was there, petting his hair, smiling down at him, offering a kiss. His partner only needed very little prompting to lean down and deepen their contact. Danny enforced Ethan's desire and the passion he was rewarded with in return, nearly stole his breath. Eager and hungry, he kissed his boyfriend. He took what his partner offered so easily and purred when the wolf sank into the cushions, eyes closed with a blissful smile on his face._

_Boyd was closest. The teenager looked at the incubus and with an impish smile, one dark skinned hand pulled Erica closer and the three were locked in a passionate kiss soon thereafter. Their desire tasted even sweeter than Ethan's and before long, Danny had them peaking as well. Crawling over their senseless bodies, the demon took Lydia and Aiden when the girl sank down with a smile. He kissed Peter and Derek, Scott and Allison and Isaac at last, drinking his fill on their passion. He felt full and saturated, humming with power._

_He opened his eyes when Stiles came in, carrying a tray of ice-cream and several spoons. His master would benefit from the power the pack had shared with their incubus. Like a giant cat, Danny rolled from the lowest step of their cushioned staircase and approached Stiles, crawling gracefully. The teenager however, didn't seem to have eyes for him. Blinking at their friends, stunned into speechlessness, he let go of the tray and all the spoons and the ice-cream containers tumbled to the floor. Staggering, the Don of the Stilinski family reached for Ethan, then for Boyd and Scott, for Allison and finally for Derek. Stiles voice was broken when he whispered, "How could you? How could you do that? You had no right!"_

_Confused as of why his master was so upset, Danny rose to his knees and cold dread filled his stomach, when he realized that his friends had not fallen asleep after he had fed from them. Lifeless and grey they lay in their cinema, not a single one of them breathing any longer._

_"I didn't …," he started, "I didn't mean to. Stiles, I …" Anxious, tears welling in his eyes, the incubus turned towards his master, but there was no compassion in the teenager's gaze, only dread and cold fury._

_"Of all the things you could have done, Daniel," the teenager started, eyes ablaze with rightful anger and magic, "this is the only thing I cannot forgive." Lifting his hands, energy sparking between them, Stiles reached for a midnight-blue line, the bond between them, made visible by his master. "I hereby renounce you, Daniel Mahealani. From this day on our bond shall be broken. Whatever happens to you from now on is none of my concern."_

_Danny screamed when his soul was ripped apart, the moment Stiles broke their bond. He did not even fight when Jordan slapped cuffs on his wrist to cart him off to prison. All he could do was scream and scream and scream through the agonizing pain that filled his entire being at being unhinged and utterly alone._

~ **–** ~

Stiles was drifting in and out of consciousness. He was hurting and his head felt heavy, there had been something … something bad had happened, but for the life of it, the teenager could not remember what.

_All of a sudden, Stiles was back in the woods during the very night that Scott had received the bite. Yet instead of staying by his best friend’s side, Stiles ran away, leaving Scott behind do deal with what had just happened alone._

_The next day at school, both were aware of the change the bite had brought upon Scott. They knew that there was energy building up in the teenager but instead of helping him by staying strong, channelling this energy to keep an unwilling change in his best friend at bay, they were at the lacrosse field of Beacon Hills High. Stiles was shouting at his best friend, hitting him with lacrosse balls over in over again, forcing him to hurt in order to stay calm._

_He could not channel the wolf's energy as he had done on every full moon but the first. He was detached from Scott like his best friend was but an image, not really there. His spark felt faint in the back of his mind, there but not there, too weak to be of any use. Stiles was too weak to be of any use. The feeling of powerlessness was suffocating._

_Stiles could feel his spark, his magic, but without the support of his dad and Scott and Melissa – for some unfathomable reason he was constantly hiding from them – he couldn't tap into its potential. Their parents didn’t know about Stiles’ true nature, nor about his association with the supernatural, so they never encouraged or helped him. They didn't help him train or supported him to find out what could make him powerful. Stiles wanted to reach deep, to the source of his strength but it just wasn’t there. No, it was there, it was just evading his grip._

_The teenager tried to think of a solution. He approached his friends to get their input on his problem. But Lydia Martin just ignored him, when he tried to talk to her between classes. The heartbeat during which she had looked at him, he had not even seen contempt in her eyes. She just didn't care about Stiles in the slightest. Allison was too occupied with Scott to help Stiles and Isaac didn't bother to give an answer when Stiles asked his opinion. Erica and Boyd were in their own world. None of them cared about Stiles. He ultimately didn’t matter._

_He turned towards Derek, in a last, desperate attempt to receive some guidance. Scott needed help, hell Stiles needed help, but all the young man did was shoving him into a wall – and not in the nice way – or injure him by bashing his head against the steering wheel, when Stiles had tricked him into his car. Whenever Stiles looked at Derek, all he saw was anger and condescendence. He was weak and of no use to these people, so why should they care about him?_

_Stiles curled up in a corner of his bedroom, cursed himself for his fragility. He wished for nothing more than to be strong again, powerful, in control of his magic as he had ever been and more. The next moment his wish was granted. He was strong, nearly all-powerful. He felt ancient but instead of finally using this gift to help his brother from another mother, all he could do with his powers was to destroy and kill._

_His heart threatened to break when he felt of the demonic minions he had summoned killing Allison. He stood at the side, watching impassive and detached when the manifestations of his newfound power battled his friends. He pondered about stopping them but decided against it. It didn't even matter to him what this battle was about, all he cared about was the knowledge that he would come out on top. That would show them to ignore him when he came to them. He would show them all!_

_His soul was weeping for Scott who held the love of his life in his arms, tears blinding him, but his mind refused to give in. Stiles wanted to rant and rave against these dark powers that filled his veins with magic that was more like black tar, sticky and dirty then the lightning spark he was used to._

_Ethan and Aiden approached him, tried to bring him down in defence of the pack. They had aligned themselves with Scott because they had realized that alone they all would fall. But it was all too easy to push them away. Tearing Aiden apart because he knew that this would bring the most suffering to his pack, especially to Lydia, was as easy as breaking a stick. Everybody depended on the genius girl and with her broken by the loss of her lover, Stiles was undeniably winning. But winning what?_

_The last person to approach him in this useless battle was Derek. He wanted to reach for his partner, ground himself, have Derek pull him out of this darkness. But there seemed no love lost between the wolf and the human. Not in this world. Stiles was even snickering at the wolf. He simply couldn’t hold himself back from taunting Derek until the wolf leaped towards him, anger radiating from every pore. When Stiles’ hand broke through Derek’s ribcage it was all too easy to rip out the werewolf's heart and watch it pulse in his hand for one, last time._

_He felt bitter-sweet triumph welling up in his body. An empty passion that overwhelmed him and when Stiles felt a climax approaching, he was not even able to feel disgusted with himself. He just wished he could die. All the power, all the magic was for nothing, if he had no friends. In the end he had killed them all, so for Stiles there was no tomorrow. But suddenly there was a voice in his ear, familiar like a voice in a dream, far too seductive to be human._

“I won’t let you go so easy,” as if on an afterthought, the speaker added with a sarcastic purr, “Master.”

When Stiles opened his eyes, he looked into two orbs, filled with absolute darkness, hotter than the fires of hell and colder than the universe. “Danny?”

The seductive voice only snickered, “Not really. Your little pet-human is cowering in the deepest corner of his mind, too afraid of his own nightmares to fight them. You think after all this time he would have learned.”

Suddenly Stiles understood, “Molokai.”

A kiss from black lips ghosted over his mouth, stealing some of his energy before his counterpart whispered, “Glad to have you back, Stiles. Asmodeus sends his greetings.”

~ **–** ~

Trying to sit up, Stiles realized that he was bound to some kind of bunk-bed, with a central venous catheter embedded in the back of his left hand. Raising his eyebrows, the demon merely showed two rows of pearly white teeth in a dreadful attempt to smile, before ripping the bindings apart. Carefully extracting the needle from his skin, Stiles looked around, noticing that he was in some kind cellar. The room was bare, apart from the bed and the pole a drip was hanging from. Trying to shake his head, summoning his spark to burn the dizziness out of his mind, his eyes were blazing bright golden, when he looked around.

Something horrible had happened and, from what Stiles sensed, to the entire pack. That knowledge trumped the relief of having control over his magic again. He couldn't remember how he had come here, but he knew – beyond the shadow of doubt – that he had to get out of here and find his family. The nightmare that had just clouded his mind was still prominent, and if Danny had had a similar experience, Stiles wasn't surprised that the teenager had retreated and left Molokai in the driver's seat. That however, was not something Stiles could allow. The incubus was far too powerful on his own. To leave him roam freely without human supervision was not something the spark could risk.

Going over his options, Stiles’ mind did not need long to come up with a possible solution for his most pressing problem. With the demon at full strength and Danny so weak, not even his spark would be enough to banish Molokai from Danny's body. Especially not after having been drugged and held for an unknown amount of time. Yet that did not mean that his human mind couldn't supply him with a way out of this dilemma. Smiling, Stiles relaxed against the hard bed, looking Molokai's demonic form up and down. "Well, in that case, I hope you have enjoyed your last minutes on earth. Send Asmodeus my love when you return to him. It was truly a pleasure to work with one of his minions."

Sneering, the incubus turned towards him. He had prowled the tiny cell, tail twisting agitatedly, wings folding and unfolding in the confines of the small room. "And what makes you think that you could send me away, little human? Danny might allow you control, but I am not a human-being, weakened by compassion. I'm a demon, straight from hell!"

Not allowing himself to be intimidated, Stiles looked at the nightmarish figure. "Yes, you are. And as such you are bound to the rules of our contract, in order to stay on earth. And one of the most vital rules was broken. You took from me without asking permission in advance."

"What?" Whipping around, the demon seemed to fray a little on the edges, to grow smaller before he stabilised his impressive form. That startled reaction was all Stiles needed to confirm his impression.

Rising from his bed, though he felt by far not strong enough for an extensive walk, Stiles crowded the dark demon against the wall, reaching for his throat. "Did you, or did you not just kiss me. Take from me without me offering beforehand?"

Shivering slightly the demon nodded, reluctantly.

"And did we, or did we not establish in our contract that you always, ALWAYS have to ask permission first? That you are not allowed to take what is not offered?"

"Yes." Came the small answer, and the demon seemed to deflate before Stiles very eyes.

The spark had seen the incubus in its true form only once. It was pathetic and weak. A black figure with dark skin and bat-like wings cowered before him. No taller than Lydia, with wiry legs that barely seemed to carry it. An incubus was bound to have a human host, and only when joined with said host was the demon able to maintain the impressive figure Danny was showing whenever they wanted to impress or frighten someone.

"But I was so weak," came the pitiful excuse. Only the voice remained the same, but it too was feeble now that the demon tried to justify its behaviour. "Danny's nightmares drained nearly all the energy from us. Even the one we gathered on the blue moon. And you lay there and your spark was burning so brightly. I couldn't hold back. I was starving."

Coldly, Stiles looked down at the demon. "So you are admitting that you broke one of our rules?"

Closing its eyes, the demonic figure turned away in the cage of Stiles' arms. "Yes."

Reaching for its head, pulling it back painfully, Stiles demanded, "Then give it back!"

Whining miserably, the demon gave in and opened his mouth, returning the power it had just stolen. When the transfer was complete, the demon sagged against the wall and reached for Stiles before the boy could pull back. Whispering he pleaded, "Please, please don't send me back. I will be your slave for eternity. Just don't send me back to hell. Asmodeus will tear me apart before throwing me into purgatory for another century. You have no idea what the lost souls will do to me."

Too smart to let go of such a powerful ally and aware of how much Danny had come to enjoy his magic, Stiles carded his fingers through the incubus’ hair, eliciting an involuntary purr from the small figure. Now it was his turn to act seductively, to lean down and whisper into the creature's pointy ears, "My slave for eternity, no matter what I ask of you?"

"Yes," eagerly scrambling up, the demon tried to touch its master, "whatever you want. No limits, no restrictions. Your every wish will be my command, I swear. On your … on your parents’ grave. I will be yours until the day you die and I will even protect your pack for another year after that!"

Knowing there was only one way to unquestionably assert dominance over a sex-demon, something Stiles was only willing to do because Danny was not present, the teenager reached for his trousers, opening them slowly, seductively, taunting the incubus with every inch of flesh he revealed. When Stiles was bare, before the demon's eyes, he touched himself, slowly waking his body's desires, no matter how hard it was in the confines of this cell.

Hoarsely the incubus begged, "Let me help you, please, Master. I will be good. Let me help you."

Reaching for the incubus’ head, Stiles turned him around and pressed him roughly against the wall. "Never. Without. My. Permission!"

Still, no matter how little Molokai tried to act on his urges, the desire that was waking in Stiles fanned the demon's flames and pheromones started to pour off of him. Inhaling deeply, Stiles let the conjured passion carry him higher and with very little preparation, he sank into the demon's willing body. No matter how small and fragile it was, its build was always ready to accept an act of passion. Forcing Molokai's hands to the wall over his head, Stiles sank into him from behind, whispering into his ears. "You will never, ever take from me – or any other member of our pack – what is not offered freely. One killing and our deal is off. Am. I. Understood?"

"Yes, yes, Master, please!" The demon was squirming in Stiles’ grasp, urging the teenager to go faster, harder, to take and give and claim and offer, but the spark had other ideas for their encounter. This was not about the sex – well it was, but only to seal their new deal – mainly this was a power transfer. Stiles was well aware that he needed the demon's help to get out of here. A weak incubus was of no use to him. So the spark tapped into resources of energy he had learned to store with the help of his mother's diary and claimed the demon's mouth, kissing it deeply.

Molokai was swelling both in size and strength as he received this power. His body changed, accepted Stiles all the more easily, making their encounter more pleasurable for both of them. Still, despite greedily hoarding the strength his old/new master was offering, he remained fused to the wall, because that was where Stiles had placed him. It didn't take Stiles very long to reach his climax. The demon knew him far too well, able to elicit an orgasm from him with but a few, simple movements. But it didn't matter, because with him spilling into the demon the transfer was complete, and when they separated, Molokai turned around, looking at Stiles before gracefully sinking to his knees.

His voice was back to the strong, seductive whisper when he gestured to the last drops of cum that clung to the tip of Stiles' cock. "May I?"

Smiling, the teenager stepped closer, carding his fingers gently through the silky strands that surrounded the incubus’ horns. "You may." He sighed blissfully in the afterglow, when Molokai cleaned him with small, soft kitten-licks before closing the teenager's trousers again, nuzzling against the hidden cock affectionately.

The demon remained on his knees, looking up at his Master, when voicing the question that had circled in Stiles’ head for the last few minutes, "What should we do now?"

Looking at the sealed door that kept him in this makeshift cell, Stiles decided that there was no use for elaborate plans, so he decided, "Now we are rescuing our friends, by whatever means necessary."

Purring in delight at the prospect of violence, the incubus straightened and reached for the door. It turned out to be no match for a freshly charged sex-demon.

~ **–** ~


	31. Ethan & Aidan

_Ethan was hiding in the darkest corner of their cave. Aiden had told him to stay here, so the pack wouldn't be able to torment them during this full moon. The change hurt it always did, but what the other wolves did to them hurt even more. The desire to go out and howl to the moon was overwhelming, but Ethan knew that were he spotted both he and his brother would pay the price. They had a pack, one that kept them safe from the hunters. But to stay they had to accept the position of Omegas. Everybody used them as scratching posts when they were angry or bored or simply wanted to see how far they could push the twins._

_A noise on the outside made Ethan perk up, and a dark shadow he knew to be his brother, filled the entrance of their cave. But after a heartbeat Aiden was pulled back to the lecherous calls of their pack mates. His twin-brother had made Ethan promise that he would stay hidden. That he would remain out of sight no matter what. In the end the promise hadn't changed anything, because Ethan could still hear the pack torment his brother, claw at him, hit him with whatever they could get their hands on. They called for Ethan, demanded his immediate submission and service. The Omega tried to resist their calls. Aiden was strong, stronger than him, but in the end even he broke and cried out in pain. With tears in his eyes, Ethan rushed to him, trying to ease his torment, only to suffer the same abuse._

_Aiden had also been the one to introduce them to the demon wolf. Ethan had been so very afraid when he had first felt Deucalion's blind eyes on him. But the outlook of ascending to Alpha, of gaining power over those who had hurt him and his brother, made him relent. The twins merged, glorious and powerful and the triumph was heady when they sliced their former Alpha's throat, stealing his powers. Aiden prompted him to execute their revenge and after but a little incentive from his twin, Ethan complied and together they ripped their former pack to pieces._

_Things changed under the demon wolf. He demanded absolute submission as well, but he was less cruel than their former pack, at least when you obeyed his orders. Aiden kept them safe and guided them through the traps of pack-policy. Then the demon wolf came to Beacon Hills and for a few weeks, they had the chance to watch a pack that was family. After Deucalion's defeat by Alpha McCall, Ethan begged his brother to join them, to ask for permission to stay with the McCall-pack. Ethan submitted easily, but Aiden needed more to bend to the will of their new, human Alpha. His strong brother kept up his resistance for several days, but in the end gave in, because Ethan was begging him on his knees. The cold in the empty yard, the snow chilling them to the bones – the twin had a bad conscience to sentence his brother to such torments – but once they gave in things got infinitely better._

_One the most beautiful girl in existence chose Aiden as her partner and a sex-demon took his interest in Ethan. For the first time in their lives they felt cherished and safe. Both enjoyed this new situation more than they would ever admit. But things changed with time. Soon the pack noticed that Aiden was the one they benefited from and that Ethan was just useless baggage. He was stronger, smarter, and more skilled than Ethan. Danny pulled back a little more each day and after scarce few months, Ethan caught his brother and his partner making love in the bed he and Danny had shared before._

_He wanted to rant and to rave, but Danny only looked up from where he was fucking Aiden from behind, eyes black and without compassion. His voice was cold, contrary to the warm tone he usually entertained when talking to Ethan. "Did you really think that we would not notice? That we would not learn how much more worthy your brother is in all things? He is stronger, more resilient, more intelligent than you? Honestly, we only keep you around because he takes pity on you. You being an excellent source of food for my demon was the sole reason I put up with you this long. But after tasting Aiden now, I don't want you any longer. After all, why should I be satisfied with second best?"_

_When Ethan tried to come up with a response, he couldn't think of anything. Mere mindless babble left his mouth. So Danny kissed Aiden lovingly one last time, before pulling back. The glorious form of his incubus, the black skin, the black eyes and the giant wings hovered over Ethan. With nothing more than a sneer, Danny told him, "Go, little Omega. Gather your things and find a closet where you can sleep from now on. We will tell you when we need you. Until then, you better stay out of sight."_

_Tears blinding his eyes, Ethan looked at his twin brother, his glorious, strong and larger than life brother, who had always had his back, but Aiden was only lounging in the sheets, shrugging, "Maybe you can sleep in the spare room beside Stiles. Then on the other hand, why should he want you near?"_

_Thrashing around, blindly reaching for the door, Ethan fled the room. The condescending snickers of both his brother and the one person he had been sure would always, always chose him over Aiden, followed him into the streets where he kept on running._

~ **–** ~

Stiles and Molokai were slowly making their way through what appeared to be a network of tunnels. The demon could sense other life-sources around him, but the concrete and the steel threw his radar off. Crouching from corner to corner, the two were searching for their missing pack-members. When they opened the first door, Stiles was ready for an attack, as soon as the demon confirmed that there was a living-being on the other side.

"What's that smell?" Molokai was sniffing the air like a wildcat, rendered nervous by the sickening sweet smell that seemed to permit the very air of the room.

Stiles on the other hand, had very little problems identifying it. "Wolfsbane, and not the fun kind. It smells different from the one Chris is using, but it seems to affect Ethan nonetheless."

Gesturing towards his pack-member, the demon approached the boy and ripped through his bindings with considerably more effort than he had needed for Stiles'. Ethan was bound by chains, while Stiles had been held by simple leather cuffs. In the end, the demon had to mobilize his otherworldly abilities, digging through the metal that was melting like hot wax under his touch. Ethan whimpered, when the liquefied metal made contact with his skin, but he would heal, if they got him out of this cell.

Once free, Stiles tried to pick Ethan up, but Molokai waved him aside, carrying the boy from the room. The human carefully closed the door behind them and when the next room they passed turned out to hide a supply closet with all kinds of fancy drugs and basic medical materials, the three of them hid in a corner of that room.

Ethan was whimpering and twitching constantly. The pain radiating from him was overwhelming and not in the slightest connected to the burns that were already healing. When after some time he finally opened his eyes, he only sobbed out one word, before hiding in the demon's chest. "Danny."

Molokai did not look up when he started to pet the werewolf's head, pulling him closer to his body. The frightened babbles of, "I'm so sorry," and "Please, don't leave me for Aiden." and worst of all, a terrified whisper of, "Don't make me leave," made Molokai growl in the back of his throat, threateningly as if he was ready to rip someone to pieces. He folded his legs and his wings around the teenager in his arms and comforted him tenderly. "I would never, ever leave you. I won't throw you out. I will never make you leave. You are the most important person in Da… in my life. I swear to you, Ethan. Everything is alright."

When the teenager looked up, frightened, with tears running down his face, the incubus only pulled him closer, cradling him against his dark chest. Stiles’ sly smile, paired with innocently raised eyebrows, received a grumpy rumble as answer. "Just because he's not driving at the moment, doesn't mean that I don't know how he feels."

"Do you?" Stiles asked quietly, as to not upset Ethan further. "Do you know what Danny feels when it comes to his wolf?"

Kissing the sweaty strands of a boy who reluctantly pulled back from his chest, Molokai whispered when looking into Ethan's confused eyes. "All the love in the world for this one. And the rest of his heart is filled with adoration for you, Stiles, and the rest of the pack."

Carefully reaching for the incubus’ face, Ethan asked in a confused whisper, "Danny?"

Covering the wolf's hand with his own, black one, placing a tender kiss on it, the demon shook his head. "Not at the moment. Someone scared your human into hiding, little wolf. Something very sinister is going on here, and I would really appreciate it, were my pack not suffering from it."

"Your pack?" Stiles grinned.

Growling a little, Danny brushed a strand of sticky hair from Ethan's forehead, comforting the wolf further. "Yes, 'my pack'. Just because I'm a demon doesn't mean that I don't recognize all of you as family for my host!"

"Is Danny alright?" Ethan's voice was still small, but gaining strength with every breath he took that was free of poison. He understood now that whatever images had plagued him had been nothing but a nightmare. It was hard to dispel them, but if someone was endangering their pack, he had to stay alert and help his Alpha.

Rising to his feet, helping the wolf up as well, Molokai nodded. "Danny is scared, as much as you. He's hiding in a corner of his mind and let me take the lead. He will be better eventually. I doubt that he will leave you alone for very long. I promise."

The demon met the human's eyes over the body of Danny's lover. Stiles eyes mirrored a conviction of 'liar' because neither of them knew if Danny would ever rise to the surface again. The mind was a fragile thing and just because one carried a demon did not automatically make one immune against terror.

Still, Stiles was glad that Molokai was playing for his team again. He didn't hold the brief rebellion against him. Every creature of darkness was bound to try tricking their masters into believing them stronger, more independent, than they really were. Had the spark not researched binding rituals excessively before dealing with Danny's demon, he might even have believed Molokai to be as unconstrained as the demon had tried to make him belief. But in reality, Molokai was only as strong as Stiles allowed him to be, and with the threat of being thrown back to hell, he did his best to fit into their family again, as he had done for the last few years.

~ **–** ~

_Aiden and Lydia were laughing and trading ice-cream when hers melted too fast to keep up and his was gone before he could enjoy it. Lydia always liked these frozen yoghurt with the sprinkles on top. Aiden was more of a vanilla and chocolate kind of guy, but he didn't mind sharing. It was not as if he had a lot to offer to a girl whose IQ was off the charts. Well, not off the charts, the measurement of IQ was comparing the intelligence of a person to a national baseline. But still, in his mind Lydia was clearly the smartest person he knew. A part of him still wondered what she saw in him. But all of that didn't matter today. Today they could enjoy one of their rare moments in the sun with nothing but skinny clothes, melting ice-cream and nothing to do._

_His wolf perked up when he heard a suspicious noise nearby. Lydia tapping the tip of his nose with her cone made him turn back to her. Grinning he took it, offered his in return. There it was again? Like someone was approaching, but Aiden couldn't determine the source of the disturbance. Couldn't hear what was going on. The only thing he was sure of was that something was going on. Hesitantly he stood up and offered his hand. "Come on, Lyds, we better go."_

_Rolling her eyes, but clearly willing to indulge him, Lydia took the offered hand and allowed Aiden to pull her to her feet. Obviously she didn't think herself in any kind of danger. That conviction proved an illusion when out of the blue a small-scale gangster wrapped around her from behind, pressing a dirty nuzzle to her neck._

_How the guy had approached them so fast, Aiden didn't know, but he did not have the mind to question his lack of attention at the moment. His blood ran cold when he saw the fear and resignation in Lydia's eyes. Clearly she didn't think him skilled enough to deal with this danger. Angrily she lifted her shoe and dug the heel onto the sensitive foot of the jerk. As soon as he let her go, Aiden was upon him, wrestling him down, growling under his breath. His eyes were burning blue, he was well aware of that, but since the guy was on his belly, he wouldn't notice._

_A shot erupted in the formerly tranquil summer afternoon and Lydia grasped her shoulder with a pained sound. Aiden could smell the blood before it was blooming on her shirt. Still she flexed her fingers and rearranged her scarf to hide the stain. Within moments Jordan Parrish was beside him, picking up the jerk who had shot Lydia, bringing him away to the precinct._

_Lydia was silent on their ride home and the guilt was eating at Aiden whenever he looked at her. He noticed a faint trail of blood running down her arm. Once inside the house, Stiles was immediately hovering over Lydia, exposing her shoulder that was only grazed yet still bleeding. Angrily, the human Alpha pulled Lydia against his chest, and – as Aiden had expected – the girl allowed the protective gesture. The commotion had summoned Scott. The Alpha looked first at Stiles and Lydia and then at Aiden. "What happened?"_

_Stiles' voice was nearly feral when he growled, "Aiden allowed Lydia to get shot!"_

_"What?"_

_Aiden cringed under the disappointed gazes of both Alphas. When he looked up again, he found Stiles comforting Lydia, kissing her lovingly before looking at Aiden again. His eyes were cold and detached when he shook his head. "You know, we tried Aiden, we tried really hard with you."_

_Scott picked up the cue and continued, "First you resist Stiles, forcing him to trap you in a circle of mountain ash."_

_"Then you court the one woman my heart has always belonged to."_

_"And then you can't even keep her safe." Scott shook his head tiredly. "Honestly, Aiden. Of what use are you?"_

_The wolf started shaking, claws digging into the palms of his hands, unable to look up._

_"He's good in bed." Lydia piped up and honestly, was there a cruder and more unimportant skill she could draw his Alphas attentions to? "But not good enough to keep him."_

_Shaking his head, Stiles looked at the girl in his arms who mirrored his gaze. The human told Aiden, "Let's put our cards on the table, Aiden. We have been lenient enough with you. Ethan and you came as a package deal, and Danny loves your brother with all his heart, that's the only reason we allowed you to stay for so long. But now … really … We were hoping that you would achieve something! That you would learn or at least be fast enough to keep the human members of our family safe. Clearly, you can't even manage that."_

_Aiden's eyes clouded with unshed tears when he looked at his two Alphas and the girl that had come to mean the world to him. He couldn't belief that they were writing him off so easily. But the truth was, he had always suspected that much. Of course he was not as smart or as compassionate as his delicate, little brother Ethan. Ethan clearly was the better catch, but having it spelled out so coldly tore into Aiden's heart._

_"Really, Aiden. We tried, but it would be easier for the entire pack if you just left." Stiles finally spelled out for him, gesturing towards a door Scott was already holding open. Aiden would not, could not say anything else, could barely move through the pain that seemed to fill his entire body and only when the door clicked shut behind him, did he allow his tears to fall freely, while running towards the woods._

~ **–** ~

Stiles, Molokai and Ethan were not even surprised to find Aiden's room closest to Ethan's on the other side of the hall. As soon as the demon opened the door, Ethan swayed on his feet, needing Stiles to stabilize him. Once again, the demon entered and carried an unconscious, shivering werewolf out of a sickening smelling room. They returned to their supply closet and instantly Ethan pulled his brother into his arms, whispering words of comfort. Tears were falling from his eyes, when he smelled Aiden's terror.

Helplessly he looked up at Stiles. "What should we do?"

Crouching down beside the twins, the human caressed the distressed wolf's neck. "We have to wait for the wolfsbane to leave his system. I'm sorry, Ethan. There really isn't anything we CAN do at the moment but wait."

"Can't you do anything?" Ethan looked up at the black-skinned demon. He wanted to call out to him, to seek comfort, yet every sense but his eyes told him that the person guarding the door was not his boyfriend. The incubus was careful with him, had held him close and comforted him when he had woken, but this creature was not Danny and somehow his wolf was reluctant to have it anywhere near his brother.

Shaking his head, the demon admitted, "I could maybe substitute his nightmare with a nicer dream, but that would make him reluctant to wake up after the numerous terrors he had suffered."

"But he would …"

Ethan interrupted himself when Aiden reached for him all of a sudden. Desperate, the taller twin choked out his brother's name, drawing their bodies close together. Instantly Ethan pulled him closer, surrounding Aiden with his arms and his legs, cocooning him in the length of his limps. Stiles mirrored him on the other side, caressing Aiden's back while his brother comfortingly touched his face.

Aiden was torn between hiding from Stiles and clinging to his brother. Hoarsely he whispered, desperation lacing every word when he addressed his Alpha. "Please, please don't send me away. I will be good. I will be useful I swear. Ethan and I … I can protect Lydia, I promise. I … please …" The last word was nothing but a broken breath that ghosted over Stiles face and instantly the Alpha pulled the twin closer from behind.

Rubbing his face over Aiden's neck, scenting the teenager, Stiles assured him, "Nobody is sending you away, Aiden. You have to come back to us, wake up completely. It was a dream, nothing but a wolfsbane-induced nightmare. It's alright. Everything is alright."

Another lie. But one that seemed to get through to the wolf. Ethan opened his arms a little when Aiden turned around and looked at his human Alpha with tearstained eyes. "You still care for me?"

"Oh, Aiden," Stiles choked, hugging him tightly, wrapping one arm around Ethan by proxy. "You stupid, stupid wolves. I could never send either of you away. Scott and I, we love you and we want you in our pack. I know that we don't always see eye to eye, but no matter the conflict, we get over it."

When both wolves whined in distress, Stiles clasped their necks. "Listen to me," Stiles demanded. "Listen to my heartbeat."

When the twins looked at him with eyes that had seen far too much, Stiles touched their foreheads and breathed against their faces. "I love you. Both of you. You are family like every other member of my pack and nobody, neither me nor Danny, nor Lydia, nor Scott will ever want you to leave. You belong to us and we never want to see you go."

With a pleading look over his shoulder, the huddled together trio was joined by the incubus. No matter how strange it felt, the demon was a part of their family as well. Wrapped together they drew strength from each other until Aiden felt stable enough to rise to his feet.

Brushing the tears from his eyes, the taller twin asked, "Alright, what do we do next?"

~ – ~


	32. Erica & Boyd

_Erica was so very proud of her girls and boys! The club was running smoothly and there had been no bigger incidents with clients for the last six months. Her boyfriend's ruthless demeanour, when dealing with those who hurt their charges, was well known by now so nobody tried anything any longer._

_Yet somehow for the last few weeks, Erica had felt more and more tired and an inexplicable anxiety had started to build. Every morning, it became harder for her to put on the flawless mask that impressed both patrons and employees. Her hair refused to shine, no matter how much product she used. More than once Lydia had stopped her in the hallway, pointing out an imperfection for her to take care off before going to work._

_Erica was aware that she was not much of a looker. Only with make-up was she able to shine. Stiles had given her an eye now and then, but for now he hadn't said anything. Still, she had a reputation to uphold and looking like a drag simply wouldn't do._

_Several weeks had passed and by now Erica was hiding most of the time when she was at home. She remembered all too well how much of a mouse she had been before the bite. Somehow the magic that made her wolf seemed to reverse itself. She got weaker and weaker and more than once, Boyd had to pull her away from a conflict with a client or one of her employees, because Erica had been swaying. She couldn't afford to appear weak. It all ended in an epileptic seizure in the middle of the dance floor, when Stiles was around to visit his club._

~ **–** ~

_The next day, Stiles sat her down, and no matter how steadfast Boyd's hand on her back was, she felt unease at the look her Don gave her. Stiles had always been a kind person. She had crushed on him during high school because whenever people had taunted her, or she had had a seizure in public, he had been there to help, either to defend her, or to carry her to the nurse station to get her medication. Now Stiles seemed worried and regretful._

_Shaking his head, the Don of the Stilinski family informed her. "I am really sorry Erica, but things can't continue the way they do. I have a reputation to uphold and with you as head of my hookers that's not possible. Lucky for you Boyd insisted that I find another employment for you.  Despite you not being able to continue your current line of work. We agreed that, if you can't be seen in the clubs, you will walk the streets with the others."_

_Blanching, trying to supress the trembles that wanted to shake her apart, Erica whipped around to look at her partner. Boyd however, was as stoic as ever. "You have to understand, Erica. You are bad for our reputation. I am sure we will find a man or woman who is interested in you. Even with you looking like that. They might have a few kinks, but since you worked this business for so long, I am sure you come prepared."_

_"You want," Erica felt the seizure, but pushed it down in a herculean effort. "You want to whore me out?"_

_Being uncharacteristically ignorant to her emotional state, Boyd only shrugged and explained, "Well, if you want to remain a member of this family … It's the easiest solution for everybody involved."_

_Shaking, Erica tried to pull back. Stiles attempted to comfort her, but feeling unbelievably betrayed by the only men in her life she had had absolute faith in, she could not tolerate their touch. She pulled back from their hands and from the table. Vibrating all over she shook her head stubbornly. "You can't … you can't mean that. Me, working as a hooker? You …"_

_Yet before she could explain herself, the epileptic attack she had fought so valiantly before overwhelmed her and she lost her footing, seizing. The last things she saw were Stiles and Boyd standing over her before sharing an indifferent shrug, leaving her behind to discuss business._

~ **–** ~

"Are you scared?" Stiles voice was calm and matter-of-fact.

Ethan and Aiden shared a glance before nodding reluctantly.

Turning towards the demon, who made a non-committal gesture, the teenager turned back to his wolves. "Is it because of your nightmares or are we approaching another cell?"

That question made the brothers stop. Until now they had assumed that any lingering fear was originated in the nightmares they had suffered. But it made sense that the wolfsbane being spread in the cells would leak into the corridor as well. For now they had not found a fool-proof system to determine which room to open and which one to leave. But if they could smell the wolfsbane …

Looking at each other, they shed their shirts, twisting into each other, merging into the truly frightening beast Stiles and Scott had fought two years ago. Their senses were sharper that way, their strength exponentially increased, and they were comforted by each other. If you wanted someone by your side in a case of crisis, Ethan-Aiden and Molokai were the perfect companions.

The only drawback with the merged wolf was the very basic speech pattern he seemed to prefer. The twins communicated mostly by growling and throwing threats at people. Today, clearly in a delicate situation but surrounded by allies, they resorted to grumbling angrily and pointing at the door where they thought the next victim of this ominous attack to be.

Stiles had thought about who might have kidnapped them before. But the details of how he had gotten here were still too fuzzy. For now they only had two directives: to find their missing pack-members and to not die. Not necessarily in that order.

When they opened the next door, the huge wolf stood his ground, despite the on onslaught of wolfsbane that waved towards them. Inside, Erica was trembling, nearly seizing on her make-shift bed. Instantly the twins were upon her, pulling away her restraints as if they were nothing, carrying the frightened werewolf out of the room.

The next room where they recuperated was a broom closet, but at the moment, nobody cared. The twins pawed at their distressed pack member frantically, trying to ease her fears. But Stiles had seen this before. No matter if Erica was a wolf now, her body was clearly convinced that she had an epileptic attack. That Stiles knew how to deal with.

The human tenderly placed a hand on Erica's shoulder. Quietly, Stiles prompted, "You have to give her to me. I know how to help her."

Clearly reluctant, but unwilling to contradict their Alpha, Ethan-Aiden let go of Erica. As soon as Stiles had her in his arms, he gentled his grip, sinking to the floor. His voice was unbearably gentle when he whispered at Erica. "It's alright, Erica. You don't have to be afraid.  You are not alone." Kneeling on the floor, brushing away the mops and buckets and other cleaning supplies, Stiles lowered the seizing woman and arranged her in a lateral position.

She still shook and Aiden-Ethan whined in distress. But Stiles reached for the combined werewolves' claws and placed them on Erica's head. "You have to be gentle with her. Talk quietly. She was epileptic before Peter bit her, and now the wolfsbane convinced her that she is having an attack. It will pass, but we have to help her through."

"Hold her!" The twin-wolf rumbled, but Stiles shook his head.

"No, no constrictions. It will pass faster if she can move unrestricted. We just have to make sure that she doesn't hurt herself. No matter how fast she is healing."

"Erica." The soft growl was paired with gentle patting and while Molokai was standing guard, both Ethan-Aiden and Stiles were able to help Erica through her attack.

A distressed whine tore from Erica's throat when the girl finally opened her eyes. Her eyes were filled with tears when she looked at Stiles. Though the spark didn't know who had captured his wolves, the uncertain and frightened look in Erica's eyes made him want to tear the person responsible apart. Tenderly he brushed sweaty strands out of her face and whispered, "It's over, Catwoman. It was nothing but a bad dream."

With a heart breaking sob Erica reached for Stiles and clutched onto him. "I thought … I was … my wolf."

Caressing her hair, Stiles whispered, "Your wolf is scared because they drugged you with wolfsbane. No matter what you dreamed of, it's not real."

Lifting her hands to her face, Erica hiccupped, summoning her claws. It was hard, harder with the wolfsbane still in her system, but she managed the partial shift. As soon as the vicious claws emerged, a cry broke from her and she crawled into Stiles arms, now shaking from relief. Aiden-Ethan crouched closer as well and the female werewolf took comfort in their presence.

After a few minutes, she resolutely brushed the tears from her eyes and rose to unsteady feet. Looking around, she decided, "We have to find Boyd."

Smiling at her, Stiles nodded and reached for the door. "We will. Don’t worry, Erica. We will find all of them."

~ **–** ~

_"If you can't be of use, you can't stay!"_

_Stiles voice was cold and resolute, when he looked up at the black teenager._

_"But I …," Boyd didn't know how it had come to this. He had been good at what he did. He had kept Erica's girls and boys safe. Had beat up every client who had dared to lay a finger on their charges. But out of the blue, Stiles had decided that the position of the guardian was no longer needed. They had fought about it for hours, at least Boyd thought so. He had tried to defend himself and though he usually was a friend of monosyllabic conversations, his inability to properly voice his concerns frustrated him at the moment._

_"Honestly Boyd. Erica has them under control. And if you can't contribute to this family, you can no longer be part of it."_

_Inwardly, Boyd was shaking. This was the worst thing imaginable for him. He had asked for the bite because he had seen how Scott and Stiles acted around each other. How they had taken Isaac and Erica under their wings. And he had wanted that. Had wanted that so very, very much because his own family had been neglecting at best, abusive at the worst of times. And now Stiles didn't want him anymore?_

_Helplessly, he looked at his werewolf Alpha, but Scott only stood in the doorway of Stiles' office. Scott not commenting on the demands proved that the two Alphas were in agreement on this._

_Uncharacteristically hoarsely, Boyd asked, "And what would you have me do?"_

_"Well," Stiles started, "Since you know the business on the streets better than anybody, I suggest you make yourself useful there. I have had several requests for you over the last year. So we will make appointments and you can work the clients one after the other. You will still have time to spend with Erica since your working hours will overlap. Otherwise you will be on your own."_

_"And if … if I don't agree?"_

_"Then you are free to go." Scott informed him, with no compassion whatsoever._

_He couldn't go and everybody knew that. It would be difficult to leave the family if he were human - for a werewolf it was close to impossible. He could search for another pack. But Deucalion was an egoistic bastard and though Talia had made peace with the Stilinski-McCall pack, Boyd was sure that his Alphas wouldn't make changing packs that easy for him. And honestly, he didn't want to change pack! He loved Erica and these people were family, the only family he had ever felt at home with._

_Aware of Boyd's inner conflict, Stiles reached for the teenager's hand. "I know this isn't easy for you. Actually we want you to stay. So we have to find a way for you to make yourself useful."_

_This was worse. The worst approach possible because Stiles acted like he cared, something his family had never bothered to do. It had been easier to stay emotionally detached from them but the Don of the Stilinski family didn't even allow him that luxury._

_Forcefully swallowing down the tears, Boyd nodded his agreement before leaving the room._

~ **–** ~

_It was hard, nearly impossible for him to supress his wolf at the beginning. He didn’t like these strangers pawing at him and when they finally entered the bedroom, Boyd was ready to retch in disgust. But this was the only way Stiles and Scott would allow him to remain in the pack, stay part of their family._

_Worst of all, these men were good, really good at what they were doing. They took their pleasure from him, but made sure that he 'enjoyed' himself as well. Afterwards they applauded him and themselves about their ability to satisfy a partner. He never said anything, just forced a smile on his face, took the money and left. Once back at the house he took a scolding shower, rubbing away the stench of these people until his skin was raw, sometimes even bleeding._

_Erica tried to help. She really did. She pulled him into her arms, but he knew that he wasn't worthy of her affection any longer. He was a whore. The worst kind of, because he didn't do it out of conviction but because of his fear of being alone again. No matter how often she assured him that she loved him, no matter what he did to earn his money. He wasn't even able to sleep with her any longer. Too strong were his feelings of impotence and in the end he didn't want to taint her. The more he kept his distance, the less likely it was for Stiles to throw Erica into the same pot as him and demand the same from the woman he loved, as he did of Boyd._

_In the end all Boyd could do was dress up, go out, satisfy his clients and return home, hide in his bedroom, the gym or their home-cinema, depending on what place was empty at the time. He could barely eat any longer, forced himself because he knew that he had to keep up his strength and looks because it was his only thing of worth to the pack anymore. He couldn't find satisfaction in a 'normal' sexual encounter with his girlfriend, his body twisting to satisfy the forced needs. More than once Boyd had stared at the blade he used for shaving. Had he always used a cutthroat knife for that task?_

_He started to trace his veins with the tip of the blade. The pain meant nothing, was gone after a moment, but the red blood running from his veins was strangely soothing. More and more often did he use the tool to be able to feel at least something for the briefest amount of time. In the end he dug it deep into his arm, tore open veins and arteries until he was too weak to even keep his eyes open any longer. Numb, he sank to the floor of the bathroom._

~ **–** ~

Erica's vicious growl woke him from a slumber he had hoped to last for eternity. With Erica the twins had torn through the bindings that had held her. But smelling Boyd's desperation, there had been no stopping the female wolf. Holding her breath, Erica picked up her taller partner and carried him out of his place of torment.

Until now they had been lucky. Nobody had spotted any cameras and with the corridor being quite empty they retreated to a corner, huddled up around Boyd to wait for the wolfsbane to leave his system.

Stiles was worried about the teenager. All the others had whined and reeked of anxiety. But Boyd was different. His face was bare of any expression and there was no fear emanating from him, only resignation.

When he finally woke up, he looked both at Stiles and Erica before fighting to his feet, turning away from them. When Erica tried to reach for him to comfort him, he stiffly pulled away and Stiles could see the pain of the rejection tearing through the she-wolf. Boyd didn't even know where they were, but simply shuffled along the corridor into a random direction.

Sharing a confused look with the rest of his wolves, Stiles gestured for them to continue their search for missing pack members and called Boyd back. As expected the werewolf turned and approached him but wouldn't meet his eyes. Tiredness was etched into the wolf's features and it tugged at Stiles' heart. After a few moments of hesitation, where he pondered if he should ask Boyd about what he had dreamed, he decided against it.

Clearly it had shaken the usually so stoic werewolf to the core and they did not have time for an elaborate therapy session. So the Alpha cupped Boyd's face tenderly and forced the wolf to look at him, no matter how much it hurt to look into the empty eyes. He reached for Boyd's hand and after an initial hesitancy, the wolf allowed Stiles to place it over his heart.

"You know how I am able to lie." Stiles started. "You know how my heartbeat is a little faster then, but not irregular."

"Yes, Stiles."

"Tell me, Boyd. Is my heartbeat fast or slow?"

"It's slow."

"So you will know if I lie to you now. Won't you?"

Uncertain where this was going, the wolf nodded, before meeting his Alpha's eyes. The boy didn't weaver when saying, "Whatever happened, Boyd, it was a dream, a wolfsbane-induced nightmare, fuelled by your deepest fears. Nothing of it was true. I don't know what you have been though and we don't have the time to talk about it right now, but we will. Once we get out of here, or the day after, or next week or next month, we will make time for it. But right this moment we have to find our missing pack, who are trapped in their own fears."

After a moment, where Boyd wavered slightly before him, Stiles asked quietly, "Do you believe me?"

Somehow it was harder with the usually so self-assured werewolf as it had been with any other member of the pack. Yet Stiles didn't hesitate to pull him into his arms when Boyd nodded slighting and tears started to gather in his eyes. Holding on to his wolf with all his strength, Stiles rubbed his neck, his back, allowing Boyd to scent him and rubbed his face into the crook of the werewolf's neck in return. Once again the human Alpha assured him. "It was just a bad dream. Not real."

The longer they stood together, the stronger Boyd began to shake until his sobs became so pronounced that they called back the rest of the pack. Erica plastered herself against her boyfriend's back and Ethan-Aiden wrapped around them as well. It took Boyd quite some time to calm down again and even when the tears had dried he reached for Erica to ground himself in the contact.

Smiling, his girlfriend caressed his face and kissed him lovingly, before they walked down the corridor. They had a lot more family to free and with every step they took, they swore that they would rip those to pieces who were responsible for this torture.

~ **–** ~


	33. Lydia & Peter

_A bullet tore through the air and Lydia was screaming. They were in an abandoned building and Danny was tumbling to the floor right in front of her. Through the huge hole in his chest, Lydia could see his heart pumping one last time before it stopped. She should turn around and run. Yet she was frozen in place by the horror of a pack-mate's death she had been unable to prevent._

~ **–** ~

_She shot up from her work, not even bothering to power down her workstation. She had to reach Erica and Boyd and fast because something terrible was about to happen. But her car couldn't go fast enough, no matter how much pressure she applied to the gas. A few dozen meters from the club, a huge explosion tore through the quiet of the night. Chunks of debris flew through the air, hitting Lydia's car, demolishing it beyond salvation. When the redhead abandoned it and staggered towards the destroyed building, she found Erica and Boyd, holding hand's in the epicentre of the explosion. They lay there, side by side, and though no visible wounds could be seen, Lydia knew them to be dead without the shadow of doubt._

~ **–** ~

_In the smoke that rose from the lingering fires of the explosion she could see Allison's face. And though she started to run, desperately reaching for her phone to call first the huntress, than Isaac and Scott, none of the three picked up. Lydia didn’t know where to turn. She activated her communication device but nobody answered. She reached Chris Argent's house, feet bleeding already, because her heels were not meant for running, but the hunter only told her that his daughter had left not five minutes ago to meet with Isaac and Stiles.  They were supposed to guard the Don of the family during a deal._

_When returning home, Stiles sat broken in a chair in the living room, telling her that Allison and Isaac had not survived the shootout with a rivalling clan. They were careful, always so careful, but against wolfsbane bullets and explosives they were powerless._

~ **–** ~

_Waking up from another nightmare, Lydia ran to Scott who lay huddled around Liam in the boy's bedroom. The loss of his lovers seemed to have broken the Alpha. No matter how much Liam tried to comfort him, he couldn't console the older wolf. Lydia tried to talk to him, tried to reach him, to warn him of an unsubstantial danger she had foreseen for the true Alpha. But Scott was beyond caring. All he did was look into Lydia's eyes with a blank expression and then turn towards the wall. Helpless, Liam assured Lydia that he would do his best to keep his Alpha safe._

_In the end, she was of no use to the both of them, because a car accident killed them the same day. A beam beheaded them, they had not even had time to feel fear or pain._

~ **–** ~

_Aiden and Ethan tried to outrun the curse that obviously had befallen the Stilinski-McCall pack, though it was only them, Stiles, Derek, Lydia and Peter left. Melissa had tried to comfort them, to sooth them and though Lydia warned them against using cars or other means of fuelled transportation, Scott's mother couldn't bear to lose another one of her children. She wanted to get them on a train and though Lydia had seen darkness closing in on the twins, they were convinced that they could flee from it. In the end a landslide, burying the entire train, killed them._

~ **–** ~

_Lydia was inconsolable, hidden in her room, drunk on beer and wine and every liquor she could get her hands upon. She was aware that visions tried to push through her alcohol-induced haze, but she was beyond caring. Melissa paid the price for it. A rogue junky with a weapon took out her and half of the ER unit the same night._

~ **–** ~

_Peter refused to leave her side after that, even when Stiles had to deal with family business. It helped, it definitely did because the competitor who had lain in hiding to kidnap Lydia, was torn into pieces before he could even touch the girl. But that had been the wrong thing to do. Chris apologized verbosely, but the code he had to uphold as a hunter, had no room for compromise. Peter had killed a human without provocation, so he had to be put down. No matter how much Lydia argued, no matter how much she pleaded, her wolf was shot right before her eyes._

~ **–** ~

_Stiles, Derek and she remained. She didn't even heave the heart to do her job any longer. And had Stiles always tried to comfort her in times of crisis, he became withdrawn and reluctant to even be in the same room as her. Derek always hovered by his side, but not even the wolf was able to lift Stiles spirits any longer. Stiles saw the trap he was walking into. But he had been too despairing to fight it any longer. He didn't care for his affairs, neither the Red Hood trading company nor the Stilinski family business. Though Derek and Lydia tried their best to uphold the reputation and keep up with the overwhelming amount of work, they were helpless against the downfall of the empire Stiles parents had spent their lives to build._

_Lydia felt more dead than alive by now. She constantly saw threats for her family but could no longer distinguish between hallucinations and visions. More than once did she have to redo the work of an entire day because she had made a beginner's mistake right after clocking in. The usually so genius girl was jittery and nervous, too wrapped up in her own head to deal with the outside world properly any longer. When they entered business negotiations with another supplier, Lydia could see the bullet that tore into Derek and the second one that hit Stiles square in the chest. But she couldn't stop either._

_Crying with the dying boy in her arms, hear heart broke when Stiles whispered, "You know, I thought that having a banshee in the family would keep us from harm. But in the end you have been my greatest disappointment."_

~ – ~

Ethan tumbled to the floor because Aiden tore out of him with a roar. Molokai and Boyd did their best to hold the werewolf back, while Stiles and Erica were helping his twin. Frantically Aiden tugged on the dark hands that held him, at least until Stiles stepped in front of him and slapped him, to pull him out of his frenzy.

Blinking at the Alpha owlishly, Aiden shook his head to come back to himself, turning towards the next door down the corridor. "Lydia is in there."

"Lydia is drugged Aiden. We have to be careful getting her out." Stiles told him, because he assumed that the human members of the pack were subdued the same way he had been. Now he could understand why Danny had been the first to free himself. With his demonic constitution, the drugs would have been easy to shrug off.

They allowed Aiden to pull the door of its hinges, but Stiles was the one to gently pull the catheter from Lydia's arm, before opening her bindings. Carefully Aiden lifted his girlfriend from the small bed, crouching down in a corner of the room to comfort her.

The others hovered uncertainly, but Stiles calmed them by sharing that he too had needed some time to battle the drug in his system, and he had been able to summon his spark to do so. Lydia was all human, when it came to that, so she would presumably need more time.

Huddling around the broken door, ready to defend their hiding place should anybody try to approach them, they kept their eyes on Lydia and their ears on the corridor. Hovering between them, Stiles could see the lingering emotions that still bothered his freed pack-members. Ethan was still gravitating towards Aiden and Stiles, as if afraid to leave either of them out of his line of sight. Erica clung to Boyd as much as the boy did in return. But while the girl was comforted by the contact, Boyd seemed stiff and nearly hesitant to be close to his partner, no matter how much he needed it. Molokai hovered by the door, determined to intercept any danger that might harm the pack. He still looked at Stiles more often than not.

Aiden was cradling Lydia in his arms, caressing her hair, inhaling her drug-deluded scent. Lydia came awake with a terrified scream that had every last person covering their ears. But it was the cry of an anguished girl and not the shout of a banshee. So Stiles approached her slowly, tenderly caressing her cheeks when her eyes flew from one to the other. Reaching for the human, not even aware that her nails were digging painfully into his skin, Lydia demanded, "The others?"

Only with Aiden's help was Stiles able to ease her. "For all we know: trapped, scared out of their minds but very, very much alive!"

Inhaling deeply, Lydia allowed herself a moment of reprieve before staggering to her feet. Holding on to Aiden who kept her upright, she decided, "We have to find them, I have a very bad feeling about this."

"Bad feeling as in your other side …," Stiles asked.

When the strawberry blonde nodded, the head of the Stilinski family took a deep breath. Only Molokai's hands on his shoulders stabilized him and brought him back to the present. Until now the Don had been able to convince himself that this was a quite elaborated, but not lethal plan to get them out of business or to steal their funding or whatever competitors deemed important. But with a banshee's vision this could easily end with death for at least one member of his pack and that was something the teenager couldn’t allow.

Forcefully shoving down all the 'worst case' scenarios his brilliant mind so easily came up with, Stiles flinched slightly when Lydia reached for his hand. Aiden was the next to touch him, then Erica and Boyd and with Molokai still at his back, Ethan was the last to complete the bundle of people. Stiles closed his eyes and allowed himself to calm. Nothing was lost now and he wouldn't allow despair to rule him until he saw them losing with his very own eyes. When he found the courage to look up again, he saw iron determination in his family’s gazes. They would not allow whoever was out there to defeat them. With a grateful nod, they turned towards the door, to continue their search for the missing members of their pack.

~ **–** ~

_Cold dread filled Peter when Lydia turned her back on him. He looked at Aiden, hoping to get some kind of support from the wolf who had accepted him so very easily in their relationship. But the twin just put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. His voice was compassionate but resigned when he said, "I'm sorry, Peter, but it has always been her decision, right from the start. If she doesn't want you any longer, I won't contradict her. She's all I have."_

_'She's all I have as well,' Peter wanted to shout, but couldn't bring himself to beg. He still had his honour, his pride, but it felt like his heart was breaking anew. It was not as bad as after the fire, where he had lost the love of his life. But a part of him seemed to wither and die at this rejection._

_When he slowly walked down the stairs, Scott and Stiles were looking at him with a similar look in their faces as Aiden had had. They too felt sorry for him, and didn't that make him bare his teeth at them. He didn't want their pity. He was better than this. Huffing he reached for his already packed clothes and turned towards the door. And while a small part of him waited for them to hold him back, waited for this family to care for a pack-member in need, he was not surprised that neither of his new Alpha's did._

_His heart clenched painfully, when Stiles told him quietly. "We tried, Peter. We really did because the wolves you bit wanted you here. But the way things are … you are simply not suitable for our family. You are too headstrong, too stubborn. I think it would be best if you returned to Talia."_

_This was the final straw for him, and with an angry snarl he slammed the door shut, forcefully pushing down the anguish that threatened to drown him. When he reached Talia's door, his sister hesitated, but knew that she could not keep him out. Not really, since he was family._

_But things didn't return to the way they had been. Peter returned working as an enforcer, beat up whoever Talia pointed him towards. But with every passing week he got sloppier, more unhinged. His sister shouted at him when he came home, beaten up and bloody. There was no warmth in her tone, no honest worry. All she did was berate him for a job poorly done._

_Peter would return to his room after such days and curl up in the bed he had shared with Lydia and Aiden during one full moon. He liked to imagine that their smell was still lingering, despite knowing that there was no chance for it, since the sheets had been washed several times since then. Still, the memories of them were the only things that kept him upright. He had pondered if he should return to them, ask for a second, or by now maybe a third chance. But his pride wouldn't let him._

_When he came home after a particularly vicious fight with a rival who had tried to barge into his sister's territory he thought about going to Deaton for the first time since leaving his pack. Usually, he would let his sister decide if his injuries justified a visit from the pack's emissary. Yet when she just shouted the house down because he had killed one of his opponents, he decided that he had had enough._

_He didn't even bother packing, no matter the pain the change brought, he shifted into his wolf form and fled his old/new home. For days he blindly ran through the woods, passed his sister’s domain, Stiles', Deucalion's. He lost all sense of self, revelled in his most basic instincts. He healed and hunted. He fought for a place to sleep and defended himself when other wolves tried to chase him out of their territory. In the end he always gave in and left. What should he fight for when hunting grounds that could be found elsewhere as well?_

_After an unknown amount of time, he came across a little town. He forced himself to shift back to human, to steal some clothes and some food and maybe talk to a human for the first time in God knew how long. But he couldn't find the words. When he took some food from an open counter where it was presented in good faith, he didn't even manage to eat like a human. Instead he tore into the biscuits, crumbling them in his clumsy hands while trying to shove them into his mouth. He wanted to talk to someone, to hear a friendly voice. Picking up a mobile that lay on a table unsupervised, because its owner had decided to use the bathroom, he couldn't even make his fingers work properly._

_He wanted to call Talia, no Stiles, no … starring blindly at the stubborn screen that refused to cooperate, he started to shake when he realized whose voice he craved hearing. But before he could try to summon her number from the depth of his mind, the owner of the mobile returned and started shouting at him for stealing the device. Frightened by the shouts and aggression surrounding him, Peter roared at the people who looked at him and leaped into the change. As soon as the shift was complete he scrambled out of the borrowed clothes and ran for the hills._

_How stupid had he been? What a fool for thinking that he could … should make contact with the one person he cared about? What would he have even said? Lydia had made it very clear what she thought of him. That she didn't want him any longer. That he was not worthy of her presence. If he hadn't been worthy then, what did he have to offer now that he had spent such a long time as a wolf? Maybe she would enjoy having a guard dog again? He had managed once, he had done everything for her, still would, and all for a soft word or a gentle gesture. A word like,_

~ **–** ~

"Peter!"

He was dreaming. He surely was. Because why on earth would Lydia ever talk to him like that? Soft and compassionate, like all she ever wanted was for him to speak with her, to look at her when both knew that he had no right.

"Peter, please. Please, wake up!" Lydia was anxiously touching her wolf's forehead, petted his hair, straightening the crooked strands that surrounded his head.

She shouldn't sound like that. This beautiful, genius girl shouldn't sound timid and afraid. It didn't suit her. Peter was determined to tell her that, but all he managed was to open his eyes and make a croaking sound. Immediately, he heard a happy sob. Soft hands fluttered over his face while Aiden's strong, warm hand pressed down on his chest. The wolf's words were calm and sympathetic when he directed, "Stay down, Peter. The wolfsbane needs to leave your system before you can rise."

"Wolfsbane?" Why should they drug him? He had done everything they head asked.

Stiles tousled head moved into his line of sight. "You have been drugged with wolfsbane, Peter, and not the fun kind. You have to give your body time to get rid of it. Otherwise, you will hurt yourself."

Peter tried to scramble back. Too overwhelmed by the people he cared so much about. Why where they looking at him with concern all of the sudden? Why where they here, wherever 'here' was?

Stiles looked at Aiden at Peter's unexpected reaction and the wolf pulled back as well. "He smells afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Of you? Or me? Or all of us?"

"Then get out!" Lydia's voice broke through their bewilderment, commanding the pack with resolve.

As Peter had expected, everybody left. When he managed to lift his head a little and look around, he noticed that they were in some kind of cell, with a bed and a drip right beside it. Concentrating he could smell blood, and when Lydia started to caress his head, he realized that she was the source of it.

Snatching her hand, he noticed a needle mark and couldn't supress a distressed whine. But the girl just shook her head. "It's alright. Stiles pulled the needle out and the drug lost its hold a short while ago."

"What drug?" With iron determination, was Peter able to scramble into a more or less upright position. Only now did he realize that he had lain with his head on Lydia's lap during his hazy wake-up. A part of him wanted to return to the intimate position but he had no right, not now, not any longer. Lydia however, ever attentive, realized what was going on with him and immediately crawled into his lap, as soon as he had found a position against the wall.

Not talking, not daring to question the gesture, Peter wrapped his arms around her, to stabilize her position. He could smell the other wolves. Aiden, Stiles, Ethan, Erica, Boyd and the demon Danny. They were all nearby, most likely outside the room, waiting for him to gather his bearings. But the memories of what he had been through were still too prominent in his mind to do anything but to hold on to Lydia with as much strength as he dared.

"I saw them dying." Lydia whispered after a moment, putting her head on his shoulder so that she would not have to look at him.

"Who?" Instantly, Peter started to comfort her, to caress her hair, untangle the messy strands.

"Everybody." Her voice now was barely louder than a breath. "We were drugged, all of us, they gave us nightmares. I dreamed of the pack dying, every last member. I wanted to die as well, because without all of you, what do I have?"

Closing his eyes, because Lydia had so easily included him in that statement, Peter pulled her closer yet. Reluctantly he admitted, "You didn't want me anymore, threw me out of the pack and Aiden and Stiles and Scott, they just went with it. I stopped thinking clearly, did a poor job as Talia's enforcer. In the end, I ran. I shifted and ran until I lost myself."

The pain in her scent spiked and Peter wished for a moment that he had kept his nightmare to himself. But it had helped talking about it, like opening a wound that had festered, in order for it to heal. Shifting a little, the girl looked at him, reaching for his face once again, looking into his eyes when she said, "I would never, ever allow that to happen. Nor would Aiden or Stiles or Scott. Tell me you know that!"

Closing his eyes, Peter forced a smile on his face, nodding. "I know that."

Her lips over his were unbearably gentle, before she whispered, touching their foreheads. "Tell me again, when you believe it." Turning around she requested quietly, "Aiden?"

HAt Lydia's quiet request, her boyfriend appeared beside them the next moment, helping her to her feet, before offering his hand to Peter. When the three of them were upright again, Lydia reinforced once again, "It was nothing but a nightmare." She kissed Peter again, this time her lips lingered, warm and steady on his before she turned towards Aiden. When Peter looked at the girl's partner, Aiden smiled and reached for his neck, pulling him into a strong embrace. "Nothing but a nightmare, not real, try to remember that!"

Peter never thought that he could have this. Not one but two people caring for him, taking not only his skills into consideration but his emotions as well. When he looked around, the rest of the pack filtered in through the door. Once Aiden had let go of him, Stiles stepped up and hugged him as well. The Alpha didn't say anything, but his scent told Peter better than words how very relieved the human was, that he was alright. Erica and Boyd were right after Ethan, and no matter if the demon crept him out, Peter allowed even the demonic form to hug him for a moment.

Once again grounded in the pack, Peter looked around, asking. "What's will happen now?"

Cold and furious, a mirror image of Peter's worst nightmare, Stiles hissed, "Now we are going to find our pack and kill whoever is responsible for this."

~ **–** ~


	34. Allison & Isaac

_"Sooner or later, you will have to make a decision, Ally. It's your responsibility." Her father explained to her patiently. "Your boyfriends are getting out of control. A little friendly competition is alright, but you saw them yesterday. They are endangering others, and we can't have that. We are hunters, it is our job to keep people safe."_

_No matter how little Allison like it, she knew her father to be right. Scott and Isaac loved each other, at least they had in the past. But for the last few weeks, this weird competition over her had started. They made her choose in which room to sleep. Forced her to decide which wolf she wanted to spent time with. Usually she wouldn't bother, humouring them to let them get it out of their system. But yesterday she had seen Scott and Isaac flashing their eyes at each other in a battle of dominance. She loved them both dearly, but did not know how to deal with this any longer._

_Today they were supposed to negotiate with one of their American suppliers. But even on their way over to the meeting, Isaac and Scott had constantly growled at each other. Once they entered negotiations, Scott had been uncharacteristically headstrong and when Isaac had pointed that out quietly, the true Alpha had shifted and attacked his pack-member.The supplier got injured in the process and only with Allison pulling him away, he had survived the confrontation._

_Once they returned home, Stiles pulled her aside and sat her down in his office. "Allison I know, that you love both Scott and Isaac and that you don't want to choose between them. But things are getting out of hand. We can't have an internal war over one member of our pack."_

_"But they did … they weren't … they love each other!" Allison stammered, eyes filling with tears._

_Shaking his head sadly, Stiles contradicted her, "No, Ally, they love you. They tried to get along for your sake. We all hoped that you would come to a decision. But you are just torturing them with your selfish attempt to keep them both."_

_"I didn't …," Allison whispered, shaking her head in denial. "That's not true. You are lying! Why are you lying, Stiles?"_

_Kneeling down before her, reaching for her hands, Stiles whispered, "What would I gain from lying to you, Allison? It's the truth and when you try to be objective for once you will realize that."_

_Shaking her head like a stubborn mule, the girl pulled back and fled the office. She hid on the balcony, outside of their attic. The longer she thought about Stiles' words, the more she realized how true they were. There had always been some kind of competition between her lovers. They made her lunch, each trying to best the other with her favourite meal. They had bought her ice-cream and cookies, to fill the vague craving she had mentioned off handily. But in the end, they had always laughed about it and shared meal or dessert or whatever else they had come up with. They had been happy before. Had Allison purposefully closed her eyes against reality?_

_Things took a turn for the worst when Allison got injured during an assignment. Both Scott and Isaac went ballistic after seeing her in the hospital and had instantly left, after the doctor had told them, that she would make a full recovery. The girl was scared for her lovers, had tried to hold them back, because the gaze in their eyes had been murderous. Both had promised her to bring her attacker to justice, no matter how much she had tried to convince them otherwise. Frightened where this would end, Allison had left the hospital, as soon as she had been able to stand on her own feet._

_She went home, but neither Scott nor Isaac had been there. Shocked by the news of what had happened – and strangely out of the loop – Stiles shared that nobody had seen the two wolves after her hospitalization. Terrified of what this could mean, Allison asked Stiles to drive her to her father. As expected, the whole pack wanted to come._

_When they arrived at the hunter's house, Chris was already waiting for them. Wordlessly he opened the door. Dread pooled in Allison's stomach, when she followed her father into their cellar. They all could hear the snarls of two feral wolves, as soon as the sound proofed door was opened. The huntress felt cold dread pooling in her stomach, weighting her down more and more with each step she descended._

_Scott and Isaac were trapped in two cages, at opposite ends of the cellar. Still they were snarling at each other, ignoring the pack that entered. When they noticed Allison amongst their friends, their agitation only grew. They started clawing at the bars of their cages, desperate to reach the girl they both loved._

_"What can we do?" Allison's voice was timid and close to breaking when facing her feral boyfriends._

_Placing a heavy hand on her shoulder, her father answered morose, "You have to choose, just like I told you."_

_Stiles was by her side the next moment, emphasizing Chris' words. "We can't have them both in our pack. You dragged this out for too long, Ally. Now one of them has to go. And we both know which one."_

_"And what about Isaac?" The girl whispered, already dreading to hear the answer._

_Putting a gun in her hand, her father turned her towards the enforcer's cage. "We can't have a feral werewolf running around. You were trained as a hunter, Allison. You know I'm right. We hunt those who hunt us, and Isaac would hunt you until the end of time if you sent him away. You led him on for too long, he will never let you go. Taking him down is the only mercy you can grant him in the end."_

_"I can't." Allison started to weep openly, the hand with the gun shaking._

_"You have to, Ally," Stiles reminded her. "Otherwise you will destroy the entire pack."_

_Against her will, Allison raised the weapon and in the last moment, Isaac stopped his snarling and ceased all aggression. All he did was looking at her, begging quietly, "Please, Allison, I love you. Don't do this to me."_

_The shot that ended the quiet pleading tore into Allison's heart as much as Isaac's and all the girl could do was scream and scream and scream until she was hoarse._

~ **–** ~

"Allison … Ally, you have to wake up!"

Unbelievably gentle words broke through the veil of her desperation. Opening her eyes, Allison found herself in Stiles' strong embrace. The leader of their family was looking down at her with concern. He had been so angry before, so very disappointed. Why didn't it seemed to matter any longer what she had done?

When she tried to free herself from his embrace, he only held her stronger. "Don’t, Ally. You are not strong enough to stand up yet."

"But Scott …," she sobbed, still trapped in the images of her nightmare.

"We have not found him yet." Lydia sat beside her, rubbing Allison's clammy hand. "He, Isaac, Liam and Derek are still missing and we don't know if they caught Melissa as well."

"Caught Melissa? But she's human …"

"So are we." Stiles reminded her. "Someone has it out for us. And that someone doesn't care about werewolves or humans," gesturing towards Danny, "or demons for that matter."

"You think they know about our wolves?"

"Clearly," the spark stated dryly. "Otherwise they wouldn't use wolfsbane to induce nightmares."

Looking around, Allison slowly became aware of her surroundings. "Nightmares?" She breathed nearly inaudible.

Boyd appeared by her side the next moment, offering his hand, pulling the huntress into his arms. Hugging her with uncharacteristic strength, he whispered into her ear, "Nightmares! They were not real, no matter how they felt."

Taking the comfort from the usually stoic wolf, Allison wrapped her arms around him tightly before she felt Erica at her back. The redhead rubbed her face into Allison's shoulder. One after the other all pack members touched the girl until Stiles reminded them, "As far as we know, the others are still out there, suffering like we did. We have to find them and end this. I don't want them to live through this torture a moment longer than necessary!"

~ **–** ~

It had been horrible. To be confronted with their worst fears, suffering through them, it had nearly broken them. Only with the help of Stiles and through him the pack bond had the wolves and humans managed to regain their sanity after waking up. And while it had been bad for them it was worse for Isaac. To him the assumption of torture, could not be truer.

_It had all started really nice. Isaac had come home after a boring day at the company, where the worst of his problems had been a delayed shipping for one of their legal clients. Meredith had been uncharacteristically chatty, meaning she had talked to him twice without referring to work or somebody dying. At home there had been a slight tension in the air but Isaac wrote it off as work related stress for the others._

_When he joined Allison and Scott in the Alpha's bedroom, both of his partners had been uncharacteristically aggressive. But the truth was, Isaac enjoyed that now and then. He loved their gentle love-making, but today Scott and Allison were taking and taking and taking all he had to give and Isaac revelled in the feeling of being able to satisfy his lovers._

_Yet the next day continued in the same fashion and the day after, and the day after. Slowly Isaac started to hurt from the tiny wounds Scott was inflicting in his passion because the Alpha wouldn't give him time to heal. Allison got cold, nearly detached, only chasing her own pleasure, not caring about Isaac's at all. When the beta-wolf mentioned that, both of his lovers shared a look that made him feel uneasy. Yet when Allison put her arms around his neck, petting along his collar, he relaxed a little. "Maybe we need to find another way to blow off some steam," she purred in the tall boy's ear._

_Scott snickered condescendingly. "Yea, why don't we go down to the gym?" He guided Isaac down with a clawed hand at the small part of the boy's back. Allison still hung on Isaac's arm, so he didn't think about it. Physical exercise might do all of them some good._

_Yet when they arrived, Allison didn't guide him towards one of the training machines. Instead Scott opened the secret wall that hid their not so illegal documents and equipment. The curly haired boy looked at it with big eyes, trembling when the darkness seems to spill out of the tiny room._

_"Come on, Isaac," Allison laughed coldly. "You knew this was coming."_

_"What?" Turning towards Scott, Isaac shook his head. "I don't understand …"_

_Pushing away from the wall, Scott approached him and brushed through his curls. "You didn't really think we would let your insolence slide, did you?" Pulling back Isaac's head painfully, the Alpha flashed his eyes and growled into the beta's ears. "You are a tool and a toy. A tool for Stiles that he keeps out of the goodness of his heart despite having someone better. A toy for Allison and me. And, Isaac, since when are toys allowed to voice an opinion?"_

_Harshly dragging him into the hidden compartment, the werewolf continued. "You know we were wrong about your dad."_

_Folding her arms, Allison looked down at Isaac who lay half splayed on the floor, because Scott's final shove had unbalanced him. "Clearly you forget your place if you are out of confinement for an extended amount of time." She hissed venomously. "We will correct that. From now on you will be obedient and servile, as is expected of you. We will only leave you in here for a few days to begin with. It should give you some perspective!"_

_"Days?" Dread pushed Isaac to his feet again, yet before he could flee the small room, that's door already closed, Scott roared him into submission, having him cower against the far wall, watching the two people he had loved the most ever since his family's death, kiss each other lovingly before turning away from him._

_The darkness was horrible, even worse than he remembered. But no amount of shouting and howling, of slamming first his fists and then himself against the wall until he was bloody and broken brought any reprieve. His lovers were truly finished with him and in a way, being locked away like a useless tool … or toy, hurt even more than being cast out. Abandoning him to the street would have meant that they no longer cared. But this, this was torture, proving that all they saw in him was entertainment for their own twisted pleasure._

~ **–** ~

When Isaac came around, he noticed that his head was softly cushioned. His body was hurting, but not like he was injured. His muscles simply felt sore, like he had overdone his exercises. When he opened his eyes too look at his – no doubt bloody – hand, he noticed that he was lying with his head in Allison's lap, her fingers softly caressing his hair. Immediately he scrambled back, looking at her with fear of the next punishment she would come up with. He was supposed to be either tool, or toy. Lying on the floor he could fulfil neither positions.

His attempt to get more space was stopped when he hit Stiles' legs with his back. Whipping around, Isaac curled into himself at the human Alpha's feet. In a last, desperate attempt to receive some mercy, he clutched Stiles' trousers and looked up pleadingly. His voice was hoarse when he whispered, "I will be good, I swear, Stiles! I will be so very good, obedient and submissive. Anything you want. Just don't let her lock me up again. Please …"

Isaac flinched at the unexpected sob he heard. Clearly someone was as distressed as he was. It had sounded like Allison, but she would be more angry than distressed at his obvious attempt to circumvent her and Scott's verdict. Yet Isaac didn't care. Couldn't care any longer because being forced back into that tiny room surely would drive him insane. With a frantic whine he pressed closer to Stiles' legs, and the boy possessively touched his head, pulling him in. He would do everything, no matter what the Don of the Stilinski family demanded. Anything to remain free. Isaac pushed into Stiles' hand, seeking comfort and shelter, ignoring the agitated voices that surrounded them because he hoped to draw as little attention as possible to himself that way.

"What's wrong with him?"

"What does he need?"

The twins voiced their concerns nearly simultaneously. They had watched the other pack members fighting off the effects of the drugs. But none of them had smelled and acted as terrified as Isaac. Clearly his mind still had not caught up with reality, if the way he was trembling at Stiles feet was anything to go by. Still, Stiles did not seem overly concerned. Calmly he was petting Isaac, allowing the wolf to shift between his legs.

The human Alpha's words were soft not to distress the frightened werewolf more. "He's just like the two of you. You both were terribly afraid of being cast out of the pack. Did Isaac ever tell you what his dad did to discipline him?"

Wordlessly the twins nodded before their eyes darkened with terrible understanding. Immediately, they crouched down beside the shaking wolf. With a tenderness that belied their usually so energetic nature, they lightly brushed over the frightened wolf's back, promising quietly, "No one will lock you away ever again." Aiden started, and Ethan emphasized, "We won't let them, we promise!"

It was the last straw for Allison when Isaac turned around at these assurances, and looked at her with fear in his eyes. With a broken sob she turned around, sinking into Lydia's arms, who had approached her from behind. The pack still tried to be as quiet and as inconspicuous as possible. For now their captors had not cared about them. The lack of surveillance in these hallways and Molokai's assurances confirmed that they still had a few hours to sunrise. Despite all that, it would not do to draw any attention towards them.

Looking around, smelling the pack's distress and most of all Allison's misery, it was easy for Isaac to believe Stiles' hushed explanation, that all the pain he had suffered had been of his minds own making. Neither Allison nor Scott wished to abandon him. His girlfriend loved him and when the curly haired boy finally followed Stiles' gentle prodding to approach her, she practically flew into his arms, so that all Isaac could do was hold on and never let go.

Sobbing into his shoulder, Allison shared, "They made me think that I had killed you. Made me believe that I had to choose, because you and Scott were going feral because you were so jealous. And they made you believe that I would lock you up, torture you like that bastard of a father of yours. Oh god, Isaac, what kind of monsters are these?"

Looking up at Stiles, Lydia and the rest of the pack, painfully aware of every person that was still missing, Isaac slowly felt his strength returning to him, especially with his usually so strong huntress clinging to him like she was afraid to let go. Watching the murderous intent in his Alpha's eyes, Isaac pondered, "The worst kind of monsters that exists in this world: humans."

"Hunters," Lydia added.

"A few wolves as well, I think." Stiles added and the demon by his side confirmed, "The strength of a few wolves definitely would have been of great help in this setup."

Allison brushed away some tears before she straightened beside Isaac, who hovered protectively at her back, "We should rule out nothing yet. Best to be prepared for the worst. But before we think about our captors, we need to find Scott and the others."

At that directive, the wolves turned into one direction. Yet before one of the humans could mention that strange behaviour, Stiles grinned, "True Alpha, that way I think."

~ **–** ~


	35. Scott & Liam

_A shot tore through the night. Following his instinct, Scott twisted Stiles' body so that he was between the attacker and the Don of the Stilinski crime family. He ignored the pain of the bullet tearing into his body since the familiar burning of wolfsbane was absent. Shouting angrily – he had meant to howl, why hadn't he howled – he threw himself at the attacker who had dared to make an attempt on his best friends life._

_"SCOTT, STOP!" Stiles fearful outcry did not even register when Scott lifted his hand to beat that jerk senseless, but all he managed was to injure his own hand with the first hit. With a painful hiss, he shook out his arm, completely taken aback, when Isaac pulled him off his victim, dealing with the rivalling dealer himself._

_Looking around, Scott noticed that the pack had the situation well under control. He staggered and fell to his knees at the unexpected pain blossoming in his torso. Stiles fell to his knees beside him, looking at him with fearful eyes, pressing both hands on the still bleeding wound._

_His best friend's voice was shaking when he ordered, "We have to get Scott to the hospital. Now!"_

_Surprised that he did not possess the strength to brush the human aside, Scott shook his head. "No, there's no wolfsbane in the bullet. Just bring me to Deaton. He will stitch me up."_

_Unbelieving, Stiles yelled. "What the hell, Scott? Are you insane? You are bleeding. You just got shot, remember? What, by all the gods made you think that it was a good idea to jump between me and a bullet? I have wolves for that kind of stunt. Also I am wearing a vest, you know. Where the hell is yours?"_

_Smiling weakly, maybe there was some unknown strand of wolfsbane in the bullet after all, Scott tried his best to sit up, despite Stiles' attempts to hold him down. "I'm an Alpha, I will heal as soon as you get the bullet out."_

_The pack was now gathering around them, looking down at Scott in equal parts confusion, surprise and worry. Stiles was the one who captured his attention once again, whispering nearly too quietly for Scott to hear, "What are you talking about, Scotty? You are not even a werewolf."_

~ **–** ~

_Scott shot up from the bed he had been placed in. Each frantic breath tore through him painfully. It was as if his lungs were constricted, as if he couldn't make himself take a deep breath. Bordering on the edge of panic, he started to shake, clawing at the railings of the hospital bed, until long, dextrous fingers came into his line of sight, holding up his inhaler. A gentle hand was prompting him up, and Stiles spoke as soothing as ever, "Calm down. Everything is alright. Just take a deep breath and you are going to be fine."_

_Unsurprisingly, it helped. His best friend had always had the uncanny ability to calm him when Scott was beginning to panic during one of his asthmatic attacks. But that had not happened ever since receiving the bite. Stiles words from before hit him full force and once again his breathing became erratic. The boy next to him would have none of that. Pulling down the railing, settling on the hospital bed, pulling Scott into his arms like he had in elementary school, Stiles directed him softly. "Deep breaths, Scott. You have to calm down. Everything is alright."_

_"How can you … say that everything … is alright?" Scott forced out. "I should be … a werewolf. Where is … our pack?"_

_Seeing gold sparkling in his best friend's eyes, the door to the hospital room banged against the wall. Stiles' ordered evenly, "Come in."_

_One by one, Allison, Isaac, Boyd and Erica entered the room. But they did not look like themselves. Well, maybe with Boyd as the only exception. It was hard to alter stoic. Allison was in full gear, armoured in leather and kevlar. Isaac had a nasty scar, running down the side of his neck. Erica wore uncharacteristically dark make-up and kept one hand hidden in the folds of her jacket and Boyd had some pretty nasty burns disfiguring the side of his face._

_Looking at his best friend in confusion, Scott noticed for the first time that Stiles too had a nasty looking scar running from his forehead, over is right eye, down to his cheek. Shaking his head, the asthmatic human asked, "What happened? Where do the scars and burns come from? And where are Ethan and Aiden, and Danny, and Liam?"_

_Laughing humourlessly, Erica shook her head, "You mean Deucalion's twins? We eradicated them, the same night we received these." Holding up her hidden hand, Erica showed the extent of burnt tissue that surely would have caused a human to lose the appendage._

_"And Danny? He is at home, in his room where he should be. A full-fledged, unanchored demon is too dangerous to let him roam freely." Stiles piped up, sounding quite bitter._

_"But you," Scott turned around, "Aren't you his Master?"_

_"Yes, Scott, I'm his Master." Stiles deadpanned, "That's why he is still allowed to live."_

_"I don't understand." Even to his own ears his words sounded small and pathetic._

_"Deucalion." Was the one-worded explanation Lydia gave regarding the twins, when entering the room. She too wore uncharacteristically glum colours and Scott was willing to bet a lot of money that the stylish corset she was wearing was bullet-proofed as well. "Our little run in with the demon wolf, ended with a torched barn and an arsenic investigation."_

_"A fire?" Slowly Scott felt like a parrot, but honestly, none of this made any sense._

_Defensive, Stiles pulled back a little. "Well I had to do something. The darach had us trapped and I had to save the pack. So I burned down the barn."_

_Remembering the faithful night, Scott shot up, clasping his best friend's hand. "Mum … Stiles, where is my mother?"_

_Shaking his head sadly, Stiles hugged him close, whispering apologetically, "I couldn't save her. Deucalion used her as leverage, and I was not strong enough to save her. I eradicated his entire pack, Erica and Boyd nearly didn't make it out and I got better since but that night … but then … I simply was not strong enough. I'm so sorry, Scott."_

_Feeling his lungs constricting in his chest, Scott shook his head. This could not be happening. This was not real. Clawing his way up from the bed, he tried to get out. Out of Stiles' arms. Away from the pitying looks of wolves that should be under his protection. But Scott couldn't even make it out of the bed. Dozens of hands, accompanied by several distressed sounds held him down and no matter how hard he fought, he could not free himself from them. He was supposed to worry about them, to care about them, but the anguished howl that tore from his throat was nothing but the pathetic cry of a weak, asthmatic teenager who had not even been strong enough to protect his own mother._

~ **–** ~

The entire pack flinched back when Scott shot up from the floor with an almighty roar. Until now they had allowed the respective partners, those in the pack closest, to ease the newly woken through the transition from nightmare to reality. But with their Alpha it had been different. No amount of wolfsbane – and there was considerably more in Scott's cell than in any other – could have kept the wolves from him. So Stiles had directed them to a quick reach and retrieve, and they had all gathered around Scott, whining under their breaths at the distress he broadcasted while unconscious.

At his terrifying roar, they all flinched back, cowered before blazing red eyes. Stiles had been willing to give the wolves some time with their Alpha, but he now stepped between the frantic werewolf and his pack. Lifting his hands in a placating gesture he approached his best friend. Evenly he ordered, "Easy, Scott. I know you are scared but you are frightening your pack. Take a deep breath and calm down."

"My pack?" Shaking from nerves and the adrenalin that was burning the wolfsbane out of his veins, Scott looked from his best friend to the cowering wolves. Boyd's face was not burned, Erica unharmed. Ally wore no armour and his curly haired boyfriend presented his unharmed neck in a submissive gesture. Ethan and Aiden stood at their backs, upright but avoiding his eyes. Lydia looked annoyed but wore her accustomed white blouse and colourful mini-skirt. Danny in his demonic form seemed ready to intervene and Stiles …

His best friend had reached for his wrists, entirely unperturbed by the sharp claws Scott had grown. In gentle movements Stiles rubbed his pulse points to calm him down. Breathing wetly, Scott looked up from his fingers, meeting Stiles eyes while tearing up. "I have claws …"

"You do."

Trembling because he was still not sure which memories were dream and which were reality, Scott slowly raised one hand, gingerly touching the prominent features on his forehead. "I'm a werewolf."

He choked before Stiles managed to wrap him into a tight embrace, rubbing his back. "You sure are, buddy. No asthma, instead strength and power. A true Alpha the pack always can rely upon."

As always, Stiles proved the uncanny ability to forestall Scott's worries. His best friend could not know what horrors had plagued him, but he surely found the right words to calm him down. That he was not the only one who had suffered became clear, when Scott lifted his head from where he had buried it in Stiles' shoulder. The others looked at him with uncertainty and longing written all over their faces. The teenager didn't even hesitate for a second before he opened his arms, reaching for them.

With a noise that was half whine and half sob, they crowded their two Alphas, rubbing themselves all over them, relaxing in the pack-bond. This situation was far from resolved, but with Stiles and Scott together once again, they were all sure that they would come out of this on top. For a few moments, Scott allowed himself to take comfort from his pack before he asked quietly, "Mum?"

But all Stiles had to offer was a shrug. "Either trapped in one of these rooms or still outside. I can't tell, the concrete is blocking my abilities."

Resolved, Scott looked at his best friend, at his pack, before he decided, "Let's find out. If they hurt a single hair on her head, we will rip them to pieces!"

The violent threat had come out as a roar, but instead of cowering again, the pack mirrored their Alphas call. Smiling at each other, ready to draw blood, Scott and Stiles took the lead. Only three more members of their pack were missing. May god have mercy on their kidnappers, because the Stilinski-McCall would have none.

~ **–** ~

_Living with the Stilinski-McCall pack was not all fun and games. Well, actually it was, at least at the moment. In Pittsburg, Liam had had friends, too. Yet he had not been allowed to participate in any extracurricular activities at school. He had been expected to come home immediately after the final lesson to make himself useful. Mark had had a very close view of what Liam should be allowed to do, and Maria had not dared to contradict him. In Beacon Hills however, he was allowed to play lacrosse, to participate in any club that evoked his interest and still had his pack to care for him when he came home. At the moment they were having a training exercise in the back yard._

_Liam was proud of how good he had become over the last few months. With Scott's and Danny's help he had trained his senses and supernatural abilities. He could run faster, hit harder and distinguish more easily between friend and foe through smell alone. He could rely on his senses to tell him what those around him were feeling and despite a few setbacks during the last few days Liam thought that Scott was generally more proud than annoyed with him. Today it was supposed to fight several other pack members separately, to come up with effective defences against different combat styles. Yet despite his achievements, today he felt considerably off his game. Somehow he was not able to control his strength, and while the wolves did not care for one hit or the other, Allison hissed at him angrily when he sliced open her shoulder. Scott's angry growl made him swallow down his apology and retreat to the far end of the training area._

_Stiles agreed to be his next sparring partner, but directed him to be mindful of his claws. At first it went really well. They were trying attacks and counterattacks, riposte and dodging. Slowly, Liam started to relax again and went with the flow of the exercise. He pondered on how different things were with his new family. Surely they got angry with him, but they didn't stop loving him, wanted him around no matter what he did. Right?_

_Too slow to counter the next swipe of Liam's claws, Stiles tumbled to the floor, covering the left side of his face, blood spilling out from behind clenched fingers. Before Liam could apologize, Derek was upon him, roaring furiously. Before the young boy was able to catch up with what was happening, Derek was dragging him through the back garden by the scruff of his neck. With a particularly violent kick, he opened a well there. That had always been there, hadn't it? Ignorant to any potential injuries this might cause, Derek pushed him over the edge, hissing after him, "If you can't remember your place, I will put you into it!"_

_The words were as much of a shock to Liam as the cold water swallowing him. Mark had said that to him, usually accompanying the phrase with a few hits of his hand or belt. Liam had been afraid then, but it was nothing compared to the sense of dread that filled him now. With Mark he had learned to expect such a treatment, but with the pack? Was he really that useless, that incapable of getting anything right? Maybe his sister's boyfriend had been right. Maybe he was just that worthless and the pack had finally caught up on it._

_Having the horrible memories from his abduction resurface in the depth of the well, Liam did his best not to panic. He could hear the pack fussing over Stiles and one time he even heard the word 'stitches'. Had his slash really been so deep? What if Stiles lost his eye? Liam didn't dare to climb up and confirm his worst fears._

_Once the sun went down however, he tried to emerge from the well and when he finally managed, he found a cold sandwich on the stairs of the back garden. Not even a drink, just the sandwich. Wolfing it down hungrily, Liam curled up on the swing bench, covering his shivering body with the fraying blankets they kept at hand. He had barely shut his eyes for a few minutes, when Boyd opened the door from the living room, gently pulling him up by the arm._

_Grateful, that someone was paying him any mind, Liam started to apologize. "Look, I'm really sorry what happened during training today. I will take better care tomorrow. I can do better, I swear!" Yet the boy with the dark skin remained mute and when looking around, Liam noticed that Boyd had guided him back to the well. Starting to fight the taller teenager, Liam was helpless against the other wolf's superior strength. Unceremoniously, he was pushed over the edge again, spluttering and shivering when he came up for air again. Only then could he hear Boyd's deep bass. "Your Alpha, the one you injured so carelessly, is still at the hospital. They are not sure if they will be able to save his eye."_

~ **–** ~

_That night, Liam didn't try to come up again and when he dared the next day around noon, he found cold eggs and a bagel on the back porch. He ate them hesitantly. When he tried to enter the house, Erica stepped into his way, dragging him back to the well. She had disappeared from Liam's restricted line of sight before the young werewolf had resurfaced. No amount of shouting and pleading brought her back._

_The next days continued in the same fashion. Whenever he managed to reach the surface, he found scraps of a meal. Yet the first member of the pack who saw him pushed him back into his cold, wet prison. Liam felt his powers dwindling. He did not nearly get enough food to keep up his strength and though he had learned to sleep, or at least doze off while floating, he barely managed to keep his eyes open any longer. He had long stopped crying, realizing that nobody cared for his tears._

_In one last, desperate attempt, he made his way up from the well one evening. But since he had received both breakfast and lunch that day, no food was waiting for him. When he kneeled on the lowest stair of their porch, curling into himself in resigned sorrow, he heard the door open in front of him. Nearly at the end of his strength, Liam didn't even bother to look up._

_Those who towered above him however, were not used to being ignored. "You don't get it, Liam, do you? I honestly thought you smarter." Danny started, with a disapproving glance at his thrall._

_"The only reason for you still being around is that your human Alpha took mercy on you, despite knowing that you don't deserve it." Scott hissed viciously._

_"Stiles?" Liam asked hopeful, scrambling to get to his feet. He flinched back and sank to the floor again when Scott growled at his pathetic attempts._

_"He's still at the hospital, trying to heal from a wound that might have killed him were he not a spark." Enclosing Liam's neck in a vice grip, that had even the weakened werewolf clawing at his hands to get some air, the Alpha roared, "My best friend is trying to adjust to a life with but one eye, because you clawed out the other! Don't you dare speak of him, cur!"_

_Without the slightest care for Liam's wellbeing, Scott dragged the young werewolf through their garden. Helplessly, the boy looked around for Danny, at least as much as the constriction around his throat allowed it. When he finally spotted the incubus, the human demon carried a big wooden shield. But he was too far away for Liam to even try and beg for mercy. Not that it would have done him any good. The face of his master was closed off and dispassionate._

_Holding the young boy at the edge of his well, Scott growled, "You will stay where we put you, and you only come out if we give you permission. Maybe Stiles still has some use for you. Until then, stay out of our sight!" Simply opening his hand, Scott let Liam fall into the well once again._

_The tumble was disorienting and where Liam usually had a few, meagre rays of sun to tell him which way was up, when he broke through the surface, the last thing he could see was Danny covering the top of the well with the wood he had carried. His voice was exasperated when he asked, "Do you think the imbecile gets it this time, Scott?"_

_"If he doesn't we will simply close it with masonry." The Alpha answered coldly. "No use in burdening the pack with a useless little shit like him."_

_It was like Mark all over again, and no amount of shouting and pleading and desperate cries brought any of them back. In the end Liam stopped fighting, because if not even his pack thought him worth something it was better to end things altogether. With one last inconsolable thought towards his human Alpha, Liam let the water swallow him. He had destroyed the young man's life and had not even managed to apologize for it._

~ **–** ~

"Hey, you have to wake up, pup." A soft voice reached Liam's ear and the next thing he noticed were soft fingers carding through his hair.

A second voice … Scott … whispered kindly, "The whole pack is worried for you. You have to open your eyes, little one."

In a forlorn attempt to obey his Alpha, Liam fought past the dizziness in his head and opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that Scott was caressing his head, but before he could think about the why, he instinctively flinched back, making the older wolf raising his hands in a placating gesture.

The retreating movement however, made him realize that he had practically crawled into Stiles lap. Whipping around he looked into two, worried honey-brown eyes. With a sob he threw his arms around the human's neck, crying out, "You can see, with both eyes!"

Liam did not notice the confused look his Alphas shared, because Stiles answered his vice-grip on his neck, with a strong hug of his own. He pulled the crying teenager, who was mumbling non-coherent apologies into his neck, as close as possible, caressing his head and rubbing the boy's back to calm him down.

"It was a dream, Liam." Stiles assured him, once the boy had calmed down a little. "Nothing but a bad dream. None of it was real."

It took the young teenager some time to start believing Stiles. Tentatively he looked at his Alpha and the demon he belonged to. But all he saw in their eyes was compassion and care. When Liam finally eased his vice-grip around Stiles neck and allowed Scott to pull him close, he needed a few moments, before burying into his Alpha's form.

Before he could understand what was happening, the rest of the pack closed in on the two and every wolf seemed to have made it his mission to pet and comfort and assure their youngest member that they loved and cared for him. After a while, Liam rubbed his eyes embarrassed, asking miserably, "Can we go home now? I really don't like this place."

He willingly took Stiles' hand to rise from the floor while his Alpha answered, "Let's find Derek and Melissa and then Danny will get you home."

In a wordless conversation behind Liam's back, the two Alphas had decided that they would do their best to keep Liam as far away from the fight as possible. The teenager apparently didn't share the pack's desire for revenge. He looked scared and small and if they had the chance they would wrap him in a blanket and hide him away from the ugliness that was about to come. The later they introduced him to the inevitable violence that was part of their lives the better.

As it where, the pack took positions around their youngest member, protecting him to the best of their abilities until they could get him home.

~ **–** ~


	36. Derek & Melissa

Still missing Melissa and Derek, they reached a stairway that seemed to ascend to the next level. Though they all were still hoping that Melissa was safe at home or at the hospital, there was no chance for Derek to be elsewhere, since Stiles' last memory was Isaac, Danny, Derek and him being in the same car on their way home.

"Where is Derek?" Stiles asked, bordering on panicking. "We have to get back, check all the rooms we didn't open!"

"We listened into every room, Stiles." Ethan reminded him.

Aiden added, "Nobody is down here but us!"

"I can't …" Stiles started worriedly. "He has to be somewhere!" The teenager insisted, turning around, as if willing to go back.

Aware that his co-Alpha was a little too emotionally invested this time to make the smartest call, Scott pulled him around once again. "Stiles?"

"Scotty, we …"

Shaking his head Scott looked into his best friend's eyes calmly and demanded. "Find Derek for me!"

"How should I …?"

Reaching for Stiles' wrist, Scott brushed over the bracelet. He didn't know how much time the kidnappers had invested into get the thing off of Stiles. A slight abrasion on his wrist and a few scratches on the metal indicated: quite a lot. But while all their other jewellery and electronics were gone, the tracking bracelet was still there. "Find our missing wolf!"

Taking a deep breath, Stiles nodded and closed his fingers around Scott's wrist. He had enough magic stored for a simple tracking spell, especially when the target was as eager to be found as the bracelet. The trick with this unobtrusive jewellery was that it didn't really matter who wore it. The bracelets themselves wanted to be close, and Stiles latched onto that feeling. After barely a minute he opened his eyes again, swirls of gold dying in them when he pointed south and upwards. "He's up there, very close. Not even outside the building I would say."

~ ***** ~

The pack climbed the stairs and reached a locked door. Stiles probed it once in frustration, but didn't dare to do more. It was quite likely that their kidnappers were waiting for them at the other side of this door. The quieter and stealthier they were, the better their chances to surprise them. Catching their kidnappers unaware would be the ideal outcome and increase their chances in the inevitable fight.

Quietly, they were discussing what amount of damage was justified and how to best apply it, when Lydia cleared her throat at the end of the staircase. When Stiles and Scott turned around, she directed them pleasantly, "Gentleman, eyes to the left please."

Turning to look at the hinges of the door, Scott looked at her in confusion, while Stiles thumped his forehead against the door. Grateful he mumbled, "I know there is a reason why I love you most of all, Lyds."

Stiles smiled at the mumbled protests from the rest of his pack, making room for Scott. "Try to pull the hinges out of the concrete. That will be quieter and much easier than prying open the lock."

With a sheepish smile, Scott nodded and started to work his claws into the cracked, old concrete of the wall. It was tedious work, because despite his superior strength he had very little leverage to free the angles. Yet after a while, while the pack had huddled together at the bottom of the stairwell, he managed to unhinge the door. Boyd and Isaac were currently reaching over his head, steadying the door so that they could take it away as quietly as possible.

Yet it didn't make the slightest change, because once the door was open and the pack was emerging into the big, dark storehouse, they heard weapons clocking all around them. They were surrounded.

~ ***** ~

Immediately they arranged themselves in a defensive stance while Stiles pulled Liam behind his back. It did little in terms of protection, since there were hunters all around them, judging by the heavy smell of wolfsbane in the air. They did their best to protect their pup still. Stiles could feel the wolves around him growing nervous again. He could see sweat forming on Scott's forehead, felt Liam's fingers clutching the back of his shirt, but Stiles, nor any of the other humans were drugged at the moment. So the pack had something they had missed in their cells: the support of their anchors.

Quietly Stiles directed the pack, "Take a deep breath." Nearly snickering, because that would get the wolfsbane into their systems even faster, the werewolves hesitated. Yet Stiles insisted, "Deep breaths people. Concentrate on the human pack members. The drug is too diluted to take full effect, otherwise the werewolves who stand next to these hunters would be out of their mind as well."

Taking half a step to get closer together, the wolves followed the directive and managed to calm their racing hearts. Lydia, Allison, the demon but especially Stiles did not smell like fear. They smelled pissed off, royally. It was easy for the werewolves to anchor themselves in that anger.

"You have an impressive amount of control over your pets." A female voice, calm and superior sounded from the shadows. After a heartbeat a beautiful huntress stepped into view. Stiles did not need to feel Liam cowering at his back, hearing him whimper in fear to conclude that she had been the one responsible for his abduction last year.

"They are not pets, they are pack!" Stiles clarified icily, while claiming a place at the front.

Snickering, the woman approached him, seemingly unaffected by the growls of the werewolves at his back.

"Don't get me wrong, Mr. Stilinski." She explained jovially. "I absolutely see the appeal of having wolves at one's side." Gesturing towards the hunters along the railing that surrounded them, every one of them had a partially shifted wolf by his side. "But that won't save you in the end. Because you see, you trusted one of these animals a little too much and soon thereafter he will share all of your secrets."

"Derek!" Stiles hissed, trying to attack her, only Liam, by now shivering from fear, held him back.

Gesturing towards the back-wall, a gate was pushed aside and Derek, chained to a metal table came into view. He was partially connected to some kind of electronic torture device that was manned by another hunter. At the woman's gesture, he dialled up and a painful amount of voltage seemed to run through Derek's body, if the hoarse cries of the wolf were anything to go by. Derek sounded like they had had a go at him for quite some time now. Maybe even as long as the others had been trapped, because though is body contracted in pain, his voice was barely audible any longer.

When the woman made an aborting motion, the man stopped the current, leaning over his victim to ask him something. Scott made an unbelieving noise at Stiles' back. "They are asking for our account numbers."

Derek however didn't seem to act to the guy's liking, because after his answer the man made an outrageous cry and backhanded him viciously.

Making her way back to the torture room, not caring in the slightest that the pack was following a few steps behind her, she brushed her fingers through Derek's sweaty hair. "He's loyal, I give you that, but if you are dead, who will he have to be loyal to?"

"I would never, ever betray Stiles." Derek was weak, but the desperate decision not to give in was written all over his face.

The huntress however didn't even seem to care. In a mocking tender gesture, like a lover, she caressed Derek's face. "Well, in that case we have to have a transferal of loyalty. You have quite a track record with that. Don't you Derek?"

"I would never betray my pack." The wolf hissed weakly, but the woman only laughed.

"Of course you would. You have done it before."

"No."

Stiles and Derek spoke simultaneously. Pleading desperation laced Derek's tone. The human spoke with utter conviction.

When the huntress continued her taunt, Derek struggled to get free, but all the gesture earned him was another round of torture.

Stiles fought against the hands holding him back. True he still were a dozen or so feet away from the device, but he had to do something! Scott however could see how Stiles breaking from their group would expose him to the hunters. He could not allow his best friend to become a target so he pulled him back.

In the meantime, the huntress explained silkily, while Derek struggled with his last strength against his bindings. Mocking Derek she laughed, "Kate was so very good at this. She had this preference for younger boys – they are always so eager to please – but when she told us of the true nature of her latest boy-toy we knew she had hit the jackpot."

Scott put his arm in a vice grip around Stiles chest, whispering into his ear to calm him while the huntress continued. "He always ran at heel when she told him, did everything she asked of him. In the end he needed very little prompting to invite her into his own home. He even thought it had been his idea!"

Derek was unable to look at Stiles any longer after that revelation. The entire pack could smell his shame. It even surmounted the physical pain he was in.

"So you see," The huntress concluded, "With you gone, all I will need is a little time before I will have your pet heeling for me."

~ ***** ~

"Would you kill them already!" The man who had tortured Derek demanded exasperated. "You said this would be swift and clean. Not that we would torture them for days! They are a risk until we get rid of them."

"Oh chill." She rolled her eyes. "We outnumber them two to one, human and werewolf each."

"He can stand it, Stiles." Scott whispered into his best friend's ear during this brief intercourse where the attention of the huntress and her henchman was diverted. "After everything Derek had been through, this will be nothing but another hit. The last one. Because we will get him out of here as soon as the fight is over."

Stiles gazed briefly over his shoulder, looking at the wolves who had followed their conversation because they were so close. Each and every one of them nodded nearly unperceivably. They stepped closer still, touching Scott, touching Stiles, connecting the spark to the pack-bond.

Turning towards the huntress, Stiles took a deep breath. He had found his anchor again and grounded himself through it. "You really think numbers will make a difference?" He asked softly.

"What?" She sneered at him, clearly convinced of her superior position.

"It won't make a difference," Stiles decided in a whisper. "Not for you, and certainly not for him." The teenage boy gestured towards the man who had tortured and interrogated Derek.

"You stupid, little teenager." Turning towards the table, she picked up one of the 'a few volts away from a lightsaber'-sticks, but Stiles didn't give her the chance to use it. They had but one chance. They couldn't take all of them. The huntress had been smart. But the Stilinski-McCall pack contained nothing but extraordinary people. And they wouldn't allow these megalomaniac bastards to best them. Not after what they had done.

So Stiles gathered all of the energy he had stored, pulled on the pack and directed a single flash of lightning at the electronic device on the table. It shot an overload of energy through the tortured werewolf’s system and his scream was deafening before Stiles overloaded the power-grid of the warehouse, plunging all of them in absolute darkness. Derek's cry was drowned when their banshee opened her mouth and screamed.

~ ***** ~

The pack had an easy time picking off the humans one by one as long as their 'pet-werewolves' were incapacitated by the banshee's scream. Stiles' eyes were glowing golden, allowing him to see and disable the most imminent threats right before them. He had shoved Liam towards Derek and the small wolf had not hesitated to work on the bonds to get their injured pack-member out of the fighting zone.

Derek was hurting all over, but the physical pain had nothing on the emotional one. He knew that his time with the Stilinski-McCall pack had come to an end tonight. After all, who would want a traitor in their midst? Still, he was too weak to protest when Liam was pulling him out of harm's way. He would not have been strong enough to resist the young wolf anyway.

Most of the humans were subdued by now and the pack was starting to fight the werewolves, with a strength that seemed fuelled by fear and desperation. Scott had three circling him, Isaac two. Molokai on the other hand made up for two humans at least by swiping the wolves off their feet, before 'distracting' them with his magic. The twins had not even bothered to merge again, easily holding their ground. Erica and Boyd fought with a viciousness that betrayed their inner conflicts, as did Peter. No matter what nightmares had plagued them, they made them all the more dangerous now.

Stiles watched. He had relieved the hunters' pair of their weapons, but had not wanted to fire them. He was a good shot, but did not want to hit his own pack by accident. Not in the darkness and commotion. That however, gave him time to analyse the enemy. The hunters were fighting to gain their footage again but could see very little without the light on. The wolves of the Stilinski-McCall pack were too fast. Their own wolves were …

Stiles watched them. They were vicious and skilled. Obviously familiar with pain, because while his pack flinched at a hit they received, healing it easily and pushed through the lingering discomfort, these 'hunters pets' were different. Pain beneath a certain level did not even seem to register. Additionally, they fought with a determination that bordered on anguish. Like they were afraid to die if they did not win. The attitude confused Stiles, since one of his pack had yet to exercise a killing strike.

Slowly, especially considering the wounds they suffered, understanding started to dawn in Stiles. Ever since entering this room, watching the other pack, no, the hunters with the shifted but subdued wolves by their side, something had demanded his attention from the back of his mind. Something that was there, but he couldn't see clearly. Now he watched Scott aiming for a hunter, who had clocked his gun on Isaac. Yet before he could land the strike, the werewolf who had accompanied this hunter, he wore a collar around his neck that matched the hunters jacked in colour, jumped between them, taking a hit that sliced his torso open.

This was no wolf pack, aligned with hunters. These werewolves actually were 'pets'. Just like the huntress had said at the beginning. They had no Alpha that meant, "SCOTT! THEY ARE ALL OMEGAS!"

His best friend needed barely a second to process this information. Summoning the shift that pushed him past his beta, into his very impressive Alpha form, he threw back his head and let out an almighty roar. After a heartbeat the others fell in and the warehouse was filled with the deafening roar of a united pack of werewolves.

The wolves of the hunters shifted back into their human forms. Abandoning their 'owners', cowering in the corners of the giant hall, hiding from the power of a True Alpha.

After that it was easy for them to round up the dozen or so hunters in the middle of the building. The last guns were taken from them and the wolves stood guard while Stiles turned around to look at the hunter and huntress who were slowly regaining consciousness. Realizing that they had lost, but not willing to give up yet, the woman fought up to her feet and hissed. "This, is nothing but a lost battle in a war you long had coming, Stilinski. I will come back, and eradicate you and your deviant pack for what your family had done to my best friend! Kate was doing nothing but her job. I will find other, greedy partners to support me and there is nothing you can do. Because the moment one of you lays hands on me, every hunter in this godforsaken country will be after you. Not even your little renegade Argent will help you then."

Closing his hands around the shaft of the pistols he had taken, Stiles briefly entertained the thought of putting a bullet through this insane woman's head. So much danger, so much fear in revenge for a mad woman who had been willing and able to hurt innocents … woman and children, because they had been werewolves. Her partner only cared about the money. In its own, twisted way, Stiles could even understand that. But this woman was simply crazy. Only her death would put an end to her schemes, but if Stiles killed her, he would have to cover it up. Most likely kill every hunter in the building and then every wolf. And no matter how appealing this option had sounded an hour ago, faced with all this potential bloodshed, Stiles simply couldn't do it. He let out a huff of despair, when the lights suddenly came back and people started to spill in.

Bouncers from clubs, barkeepers and impressive figures, loyal to the Stilinski family was entering. There had to be at least thirty people, all armed to their teeth, rounding up the shifted wolves and securing the humans. From their midst Melissa and Rafael McCall approached them and Talia and Deaton were following right behind.

Agent McCall was all business when he looked at the huntress. His next words proved that Talia had helped him listen in on what was going on, because despite wearing his suit, he did not seem to be here on official business. "Maybe Mr. Stilinski can't keep you from coming after his family again. But I certainly can. I can charge you with abduction, kidnapping of a minor … torture. All charges that will easily put you away for life."

Struggling against his hold until Talia took the Agent's place so that he could cuff the other hunter, the huntress shrieked, "You can't pin torture on me. Animal abuse at best." Gesturing vaguely towards Derek, she hissed, "This monster is not even human!"

Looking up from the man he had handcuffed on the floor, McCall straightened and told her in a voice so cold that it made icicles run down everybody's spine, "Just because he is a werewolf does not make him a monster."

Approaching his son, checking him over for injuries, he looked back at her, not daring to touch Scott. Rafael was not sure that their relationship already permitted physical contact. "But abducting teenagers, even minors and torturing a grown man makes you one. No matter how human you look." And at that, Scott wrapped his arms around his dad and held on to him really, really tight. He had not even realized how very much he had missed his father helping with his problems until Rafael had finally come around and done it. That this time it was no stolen candy at the playground, but his calling upon all resources available in the world Scott lived in made it all the better.

What upright agent of the law would ever work with criminals, ex-convicts and thugs? Clearly one who was willing to go ANY length to rescue his son.

~ ***** ~


	37. The Entire Pack

Allison looked around, felt the tension in the air and thought about what the woman had said. Her collaborators were subdued. The wolves too afraid to shift, the humans held in check by the most vicious looking associates of the Stilinski crime family. Derek lay huddled in a corner of his torture chamber, bloody and weak. Liam was crouched over him, ready to pounce at everybody who even thought about harming the suffering wolf. Talia still had the struggling huntress in a vice-grip and Deaton stood by her side. The human who had tortured Derek lay on the floor in cuffs, too resigned to even fight.

The woman was right. This was a lost battle for her, not a won war for them. Sure they could pin on her the abduction of the pack, kidnapping one of a minor. But the torture … Stiles, Lydia and Allison were the only ones where any drug would be found in their bloodstream. And they had not even suffered any bodily harm from it. The wolves? In two days tops all visible signs of the torture would be healed by Derek and testing the others for wolfsbane would only endanger their secret. With a good layer, this monster would be free within a few short years, ready to come after them again.

Approaching the man on the floor, Allison pulled back his head and asked coldly. "What did you hope to get out of all this? And don't bother lying to me, you know they will notice."

As if proving her point, Isaac stepped in front of them, his back to the rest of the group, showing his claws and flashing his eyes. Immediately, the man tried to get away from him. But Allison held him fast.

"We wanted …," he started blabbering, "She said it would be easy with the wolves at our side. She would do her job and then we would take over your assets, because without your guard-dogs, you would be too weak to defend your business. She said that he would give us your accounts easily. That they had a lot of experience with wolves and how to make them talk. That I should not bother because he is not even human!"

The man had the presence of mind to talk at least quietly, so that the others who were not werewolves, would not hear them. But his voice grew more and more frantic with each sentence. He started struggling in earnest until Allison let go of him and put her boot on his neck to keep him still. "You can't charge me with violation of human rights. He is a beast!"

He was right, Allison realized. Charges in a court of law had to be supported by evidence, evidence they could not provide. And the hunters council? Sure she had abducted humans and tortured a wolf, but with a good defence she would not be put away permanently. This would not end tonight, not if Ally did not do anything about it. All of her associates who had supported this cruel plan were afraid of her. Maybe Allison could give them something to be more afraid off. She or Stiles were the only ones who could do it. And the leader of this family, the one she had sworn to protect when accepting refuge from John, were still standing in front of his pack, tried to be strong for them. Because no matter how good they were holding themselves together, Ally could still see the fear in everyone's eyes.

Closing her eyes for a second, the female hunter of the Stilinski-McCall pack, took a deep breath and stepped back from the pathetic human on the floor. Her words were quiet, nearly inaudible, when she commanded, "Let her go, Talia. This is not your fight."

The Alpha of the Hale pack understood what was about to happen, the second Allison had spoken. But instead of distancing herself from the cruel huntress who had abducted her brother and had tortured her son, she angled the woman towards Allison. She watched cold heartedly, as the girl took a jagged blade from the table of torture instruments. The movement was fluid, nearly graceful when Allison turned towards them and sliced the huntress' throat. Only then did the Alpha of the Hale pack let go.

Allison briefly noticed Agent McCall's struggles. But Scott held on to his father and Melissa, who had watched until now but had not intervened, stepped into Rafael's line of sight, leaving Allison to deal with the bleeding woman. "We hunt those who hunt us. This is the code we go by," the teenage hunter told her victim coldly. "This goes both ways."

Letting the blade tumble to the floor, Allison watched the woman's desperate struggles to keep the blood in her body. But Allison had learned in her young life to cause wounds her victims would not survive. With relief that this woman would never, ever endanger her pack again crushed over her, she started shaking. But Stiles was there, pulling her back and into his arms, rubbing her back comfortingly, whispering into her ear, "Good call."

~ ***** ~

Rafael struggled, against his wife, against his son, demanding breathlessly, "You have to help her!"

But Melissa shook her head. The Nightingale Pledge tended to slip her mind on the occasion of somebody hurting her children. "I'm not at work. And in my free time, the protection of my children takes precedence above all else."

Gapping at his wife, the agent asked, "And if she was brought to your hospital?"

Coldly the woman, who had learned over the last years to love every single member of this family, decided, "I would take a break, just like you. Because otherwise I would have had a much harder time convincing you to talk to our bouncers and dealers and thugs instead of your colleagues or the local police force because your son was missing."

"It would have taken much longer. And I might not have been able to ensure everybody's discretion."

Allowing himself a small smile, despite having just watched his girlfriend killing someone in cold blood, Scott hugged his father tightly. "I love you, dad." Before briefly kissing his mother.

Sharing a look with Stiles, the leader of their family needed but a moment to shake his head, Scott gestured for Aiden, Peter and Lydia to follow him. They had to get rid of the humans before dealing with the werewolves. He was not surprised to find Allison and Isaac at his side a moment later. Together they separated humans from werewolves and while Lydia and Aiden talked to the bouncers, Allison and Isaac cared for the hunters, leaving him and Peter with the Omegas.

~ ***** ~

The hunters seemed to shrink back from Allison, no matter that she was unarmed now. Coldly, the girl told them, "Beacon Hills is the territory of the Argent family. My father and I have the wolves well under control."

"How can you," one of the men in front of her dared to ask. "They outnumber you twenty to one!"

"That's right," Ally allowed herself a small smile. "But our code demands from us that we have to hunt those who harm humans. No matter how convenient it seems to be for you, we don't chain down well integrated members of society just because they shift on a full moon. The Hale pack, as well as the Stilinski-McCall pack, are respected citizens of this town. There is no need to confine them."

"But they are mobsters. They break the law!"

Snickering, Isaac stated, "If you intend to uphold the law, you are in the wrong business."

"What … what happens now?" Asked a frightened voice from the back. Allison wanted to enjoy that, to savour this hunter's fear, because he had brought so much suffering upon her family. But after a few seconds she realized that all she felt was tired. She wanted this to be over, go home and snuggle with her pack. So she decided, "Now you go. And if you ever set foot into Beacon Hills again, I will kill you. Are we clear?"

"What about the wolves? They might come after us, after everything we have done to them."

With a cold gleam in her eyes, Allison told them, "Well, as soon as they try to harm you, feel free to hunt them down. That's your job after all. Isn't it?"

"What about weapons?"

Harshly, Allison repeated, "Go. Before I change my mind and set my boyfriend loose on you."

Isaac growled low in his throat, flashing his blue eyes on them, successfully rousing them into scrambling over each other to get as far away from Beacon Hills as possible.

~ ***** ~

Lydia and Aiden had very little trouble with their people. Clearly each and every one had been worried about the family and after memorizing all of their names, Lydia and Aiden thanked them again for their support and sent them off. They would receive generous compensation for their troubles, proving once more that loyalty to their family came with a gain.

~ ***** ~

The wolves, still in their human form, were cowering at Scott's feet. The true Alpha took his time to look at them, at their wounds, their worried stance. He could see their bodies through the clothes they had torn during the fight and none of them seemed unharmed. They were ridden with injuries and not only fresh ones.

Shaking his head, Peter mumbled, "They really were nothing but pets, and the hunters are abusive owners."

Scott had wanted to hurt them. To kill each and every one responsible for his pack's suffering. But seeing these wolves, he realized that they had been through enough. They had been tortured far longer and far more viciously than even Derek. Hearing Isaac's growl, seeing the hunters fleeing the warehouse, he came to a decision.

"You have just seen the length my girlfriend is willing to go to protect her family. In Beacon Hills, we obey the hunters' law. Should you ever come back here, I expect you to heed the traditions. You will introduce yourself to me and you will not make any trouble. But for now I expect you to leave our territory as soon as possible. We all need time to get over this."

"What about the hunters?"

Growling under his breath for a moment, Peter then answered sweetly, "They are expected to leave as well. Maybe you want to wait for them at the other side of our borders."

Looking from Peter to Scott again, they started to run for the door as soon as the Alpha nodded in confirmation. With a grim satisfaction, Scott and Peter joined their respective partners, catching up with the rest of the pack. This was not the justice they had envisioned. This was better. Because no matter what they could think of as punishment, what their supernatural victims would do to these hunters would surpass their wildest ideas by far.

~ ***** ~

Scott was back in his mother's arms after Melissa had made sure that none of her children were hurt. So he finally got the chance to ask, "What are you doing here, mum? You should be at the hospital."

"I was. Actually I was in for a double shift and then I went home to sleep before taking another. I had dinner with your father and he brought me home but none of you where there. When you didn't answer on the coms I knew something was wrong. So I asked Rafael to help me." Looking at her husband, he stepped behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder, picking up her tale.

"Your mother called a few of your … ahm … business partners, but when none of them knew where you were she introduced me to yet another werewolf." He gestured towards Talia.

With a small smile, the Alpha of the Hale pack nodded. "Your trail was cold already, so I went to the only person who would know for sure where you would be. Our residing veterinarian."

"Yes," Rafael confirmed. "But how an animal doctor could find you here still is beyond me."

Scott shared a glance with Stiles and Talia before he suggested, "You could ask, dad. I would tell you the truth now."

Looking at his son's family, his allies and remembering the frightening people he had managed to recruit, with Melissa's help, he thought about the offer for a few moments before shaking his head. "I'm still FBI, Scott. I love you, and I love your mother. But I am not yet ready to abandon my job to join a crime family. Best if I don't know too much. I will have a hard time explaining this body as it is."

"No, you won't." Stiles decided. "Because come morning there will be no body to worry about. Ethan, Aiden, Peter?"

Wordlessly the three wolves picked up the bloody corpse and carried her away.

"What about the blood?"

"They will take care of it, Rafael." Melissa assured him.

"It should probably worry me, how easy you accept that your kids are covering up a cold blooded murder." The agent stated.

Smiling mischievously, his wife took his hand. "Maybe it should worry you more that you are 'not yet' ready to join a known crime family."

Realizing that he had said exactly that, Rafael could only gap until his wife nudged him. "Come on, Rafael. Let's go home."

A brief flash of sadness ran over his face, too fast for most humans to pick it up. His scent was not as easily masked when he reminded his wife, "It's not my home."

Looking at his pack in question, smiling at them gratefully when he received a confirmation, Scott returned his attention to his parents, telling his father in a sure tone, "Yes, dad. It is. Let's go home."

~ ***** ~

A barely audible sob, followed by a distressed whine made them hesitate. But Stiles just urged them on. "Go, I'll take care of Derek and this trash."

Liam was tempted to follow, but he took his guarding duties very seriously, so he kept hovering at the tortured werewolf's side, despite the fact that Derek had curled into himself after his rescue, not reacting to anything that was happening around him. Looking up, he could see Danny in his demon form hovering behind Stiles. When the older teenager nudged him away, Liam approached his demon and wrapped his arm around Danny's waist, seeking comfort from his master. For a moment the demon went stiff. But then Liam felt him exhale in relief before Danny wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close.

Stiles took the pup's place in front of Derek. He did not touch his lover, not willing to do a single thing Derek was not prepared for, after everything he had been through. "It's over, Derek. You can go home." Because Stiles still had to deal with the vermin, who had dared to lay hands on his partner.

Derek did not allow himself to flinch, and while he tried to curl into himself even further, he could not suppress the whine that escaped him. Of course Stiles would send him home. Of course Stiles did not want him any longer, now that he knew that Derek had been responsible for the fire. He pulled back, when the human at his back placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Why couldn't they just leave him here? He could suffer through the loss and through the healing. Gathering at least a little courage before he was forced to face the world again.

He finally turned around, when Stiles whispered. "I know you have been through a lot. But the others are waiting for you."

Shaking his head, unable to belief the implications of what he heard, Derek shook his head and whispered, "You don't want that. Not after what she said."

Stiles however shook his head. "She was delusional, crazy and Ally took care of her. You don't have to worry about her any longer. We can go home."

Closing his eyes, resting his head on his knees cowering on the floor, Derek shook his head. He should be happy that Stiles did not believe the truth. Should count his blessings and go home. But Derek knew that he could not do that. Had he been able to bury the truth about his horrible betrayal before, he could not do so again. It would hang over his head like the sword of Damocles and sooner or later it would kill him. Or worse it would kill his pack. Derek was the wrong person to trust and it nearly broke him, something the endless hours of torture had not been able to achieve. He had to be the one to tell the person he loved the most in this world about the horrible crime he had committed against his pack.

"I can't, Stiles." He forced out. "You don't want me in your house, because I am a danger, to you and your pack."

Shaking his head, clearly unable to understand, Stiles asked, "What makes you say … What makes you think that, Derek?"

"Because she was right." Derek sobbed through tears, he was unable to hold back any longer. "I **was** the one who followed Kate around like a besotted puppy. **I** was the one who invited her into my home. **I** was the one who gave her not only means but the opportunity to murder half of my family!"

It hurt. It hurt so very much to admit these things. But in a way, he was relieved that it was all out. Now Stiles did not have to feel bad for abandoning him. For casting him out to protect his family. It was the right thing to do, because Derek could not survive if something happened too these teenagers. Better to be away from them and knowing they were safe, than being a part of this amazing pack but betraying them in the end.

Stiles was talking to him, in a remote corner of his mind that fact registered. But Derek didn't hear him, couldn't understand because he was drowning in the knowledge that he would never see Stiles again.

The teenager's fingers on his head, gently prompting him to look up, brought him back to the present where his heart hurt as much as his body.

Only when he was sure that the wolf was listening, did Stiles repeat what he had said trice already, "I know, Derek. I always knew."

Shocked, Derek gapped at the teenager. It wasn't … couldn't be true, and from Stiles reaction he realized that he had just voiced his disbelief.

But no matter how much Stiles assured him, Derek was unable to believe, unable to comprehend that the Don of the Stilinski family had invited someone into his home he knew to have killed half of his pack.

~ ***** ~

Slowly Stiles grew a little desperate. No matter what he said, no matter how often he assured Derek. The werewolf was unable to trust that Stiles had known about the incident with Kate Argent.

In the end it was Danny who tipped the scale. He placed a hand on Stiles' shoulder to back him up. Stiles shot to his feet, looking into the warm, brown eyes of his friend. His throat constricted when he took in Danny's exhausted but clearly human body. Searching for words but not finding any, he pulled the taller boy into a tight hug. Pulling him as close as possible, he breathed wetly onto a naked shoulder, "I'm so glad to have you back."

"It's okay," Danny soothed Stiles. Only now did the human let on of how very afraid he had been for his friend. "Thank you. For … you know … keeping the demon in line. I never thought I would say this, but I think I like having him with me."

Rubbing his eyes for a moment, slightly embarrassed about his loss of composure, Stiles joked, "Because that way you are everybody's type?"

Caressing his friend's face, Danny shook his head, "No, because I carried the means to help my friend rescue our pack from their special brand of hell. And I don't want to lose that, because I doubt that our lives will become any easier after this."

Having one arm around his master, pulling his thrall close once again, Danny looked down at Derek who still kneeled on the floor. "As for you, Derek Hale: There is not a single thing about your past that I have not unearthed prior to you joining our pack. I know where you went to elementary school, what classes you took and what clubs you joined in high school. I know your former address in New York and all of your business associates. I even know that you preferred the pastrami sandwiches of the small Delhi on 9th street to the ones right around your corner. I also knew about Kate. So, could you please believe Stiles so that we can finally go home?"

When Derek only looked up at the trio with panicked eyes, Stiles kissed Danny briefly with gratitude before sinking to his knees in front of his partner. Gently he reached for his wolf's face, caressing the small parts of it that were not battered and bruised. "Look at me, Derek. Look and listen, please."

When the werewolf nodded hesitantly, Stiles explained in a calm voice, "Your adoration for Kate, your invitation into your house as well as the resulting fire are, Not. Your. Fault! Do you know whose fault it was?"

With tears streaming down his face, born of the desperate hope that this would be alright, that this was not a dream he would wake from to another round of torture but a chance to actually be with this family, Derek shook his head.

"It was Kate's fault, Derek! Hers and nobody else's." Stiles pulled Derek slightly and the wolf sank into his arms all too willingly, holding on to his partner in a vice grip that tore Stiles shirt. But the teenager couldn't care less, instead he emphasized, "I was there that night, dad took me with him. I had to stay in the car, but I got the chance to see first-hand what this mad woman had done to your family. When we left again it was nearly morning and I remember that I asked my dad what would happen now. He told me that he would hunt her down. That he would bring her to justice and her head to your mother, so that Talia would know that her family had been avenged.

"I stayed with Scott and Melissa for two days and when dad picked me up again he still had a fleck of her blood on his wrist. But it didn't bother me. My parents, Melissa, school, really everybody had always told me that all life was precious. But that night I only felt grim satisfaction that my dad had erased a life so perverted that she would murder innocent woman and children for her own twisted beliefs."

"You could not have been older than ten." Derek whispered in shock. Not even he and his sisters had learned about the business of their family and what it entailed before they had reached adulthood. Before that, they had merely been taught to be weary and attentive because bad people were out there.

"So?" Stiles replied easily. "My mother had never hidden from me how we earned our money and the appropriate cover story for it. How do you think was I able to take over a crime family at eighteen?"

Derek had never thought of it. He had been too far away at John's death and upon his return for the trade he had had other things to occupy his mind. When Stiles pulled him to his feet, Derek pulled open a partially healed wound again, hissing in pain. He flinched back from the wave of anger from his lover, but Stiles only pulled him in and kissed the unbruised corner of Derek's mouth. "Go outside and wait with the others. I will be with you in a minute."

Suddenly afraid to be away from Stiles, Derek clutched the human's hand but pulled back after a moment. He would not act like a frightened puppy, no matter what he had been through. Liam however didn't seem to have the same inhibitions. He reached for Stiles' shirt, begging quietly, "Please don't leave us."

Looking at the bastard of a hunter who still lay on the floor, Stiles tried to free himself from Liam's vice-grip but Danny stopped him. "Get them out, Stiles."

"But he …"

Smiling viciously, making sure that he stood at Liam's back so the boy would not see, Danny suggested, "Molokai deserves a little bonus, don't you think? I will make him irresistible and nature will take its course."

Looking down at the squirming man Stiles smiled coldly, nodding once, before putting his arms around Derek's waist on one side, while Liam supported the injured wolf from the other. He did not have to worry about a punishment fitting the crime for Derek's torturer. Danny's magic would make him so appealing to those around him that they would slowly forget about consent the longer they were in his vicinity. Longer in this case meant a few hours. He would not be able to go through a 'normal' day at work without his colleagues taking advantage of him. Sure, Danny's magic would not last forever, but with a little boost before conjuring it, this bastard was in for an interesting month. Stiles decided to look for him in thirty days. A curse like this was always renewable, so Danny could punish him again and again and again.

~ ***** ~

When they finally left the warehouse, the sun was slowly coming up. Upon seeing Derek's tormented body, the pack instantly had pulled him into their midst, leaching his pain and cleaning him up with various pieces of clothing they had to spare.

They made their way home towards the rising sun and in a way this felt like a new beginning. They were not alright, far from it. But during the last two days, they had been forced to confront their deepest fears, facing things they had not even realized they were still afraid off. But the pack, their family, had been there when they had woken. Together, they would be able to overcome this because nobody would switch them for their brother or throw them out in the streets. Nobody would force them into prostitution or push them onto the brink of suicide. The pack would always listen and never push one of them away. No family association would oblige them to harm their own pack and no pack member would ever think about torturing another. They were werewolves and humans and a sex-demon, with two strong Alphas who always had their best interest at heart at all times.

Lydia had her arms around both Aiden and Peter. Erica held Boyd close. Scott was talking to his parents, who were holding hands, Isaac and Allison by his side. Liam hugged Danny like a little octopus and the free arm of the demonic teenager was wrapped around Ethan. Derek walked beside Stiles, slowly because his injuries. This pack knew. Knew the very best and very worst about each other, and still they were a family, strong enough to overcome everything life threw at them.

Tentatively, Derek reached for Stiles, lacing their fingers. When he looked up, the love in Stiles' eyes nearly blinded him and filled him with a warmth far beyond anything he had ever experienced. When the boy slowly pulled Derek' hand to his mouth and placed a tender kiss on his knuckles, the werewolf could only mirror his smile, relieved that he finally had found a place that his heart could call home.

~ ***** ~

**Author's Note:**

> You came this far, you might as well comment.


End file.
